BY 


J AMI'S   DWSGHT. 


PUBLISHED   BY 
WRJQHT  &  DITSON,  BOSTON,"  U,;S,  A., 

'' 


AND 

PASTIME"  OFFICE,  28 


BOW, 


LONDON,  E/C. 


LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY   OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Received. $^k^^y_--.,  i 

Accessions  Nos^*^-±3-/-y     Shelf  No.-. 


DEDICATION. 


To  WILLIAM  RENSHAW,  Esq.,  Champion  of  England, 
this  book  is  dedicated  by  his  friend  and  pupil 
the  Author. 


V    o 


/ 


0 


,  Q 


BY 


JAMES     DWIGHT. 


PUBLISHED   BY 

WRIGHT   &    DITSON,    BOSTON,   U.  S.  A., 

AND 

"PASTIME"  OFFICE,  28  PATERNOSTER  ROW, 
LONDON,  E.G. 


COPYRI/G,HT 

1886, 
BY  JAMES   DWIGHT. 


PREFACE. 


THERE  is  at  present  no  work  on  Lawn  -  Tennis 
written  by  any  of  the  well-known  players  or  judges 
of  the  game,  and  it  is  with  great  diffidence  that  I 
offer  this  book  to  fill  the  gap  until  something  better 
comes. 

It  is  intended  for  beginners,  and  for  those  who 
have  not  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  best 
players  and  of  playing  against  them. 

To  the  better  players  it  would  be  presumption  for 
me  to  offer  advice.  I  should  not,  indeed,  have  ven* 
tured  to  write  at  all  had  I  not  had  unusual  oppor- 
tunities of  studying  the  game  against  the  best  players, 
and  especially  against  the  Champion,  Mr.  W.  Renshaw, 
and  his  brother. 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

CHAP.  PAGE 

PREFACE       vii 

i.  How  TO  LEARN  TO  PLAY          i 

ii.  THE  COURT  AND  IMPLEMENTS  OF  THE  GAME        ...  6 

in.  THE  SERVICE          12 

iv.  THE  FIRST  STROKE         18 

v.  THE  STROKE          21 

vi.  THE  VOLLEY          23 

vn.  THE  HALF- VOLLEY          28 

vni.  THE  LOB      30 


PART    II. 

i.  THE  GAME 32 

ii.  MATCH  PLAY         46 

in.  THE  DOUBLE  GAME         56 

iv.  LADIES'  AND  GENTLEMEN'S  DOUBLES 64 

v.  UMPIRES  AND  UMPIRING  68 

vi.  ODDS 71 

vii.  BISQUE         73 

viii.  CASES  AND  DECISIONS     80 

ix.  LIST  OF  WINNERS  ..  88 


KIVBRSITYj 
J^JJIgj^ 

LAWN-TENNIS. 

PART    I. 
CHAPTER  I. 

HOW  TO   LEARN   TO  PLAY. 

ONE  is  often  asked  the  best  method  of  learning  to  play. 
I  fancy  that  the  best  way,  could  one  often  adopt  it,  would 
be  to  let  a  marker,  as  in  a  tennis-court,  hit  the  balls 
gently  to  the  beginner,  pointing  out  to  him  his  mistakes, 
so  that  he  might  not  acquire  a  bad  style.  If  he  begins 
by  going  on  to  the  lawn  and  playing  a  game,  his  only 
object  will  be  to  get  the  balls  over  the  net,  and  he  will 
be  almost  sure  to  fall  into  bad  habits  of  play.  This  is, 
however,  the  most  amusing  way  to  learn,  and  will  pro- 
bably always  be  the  one  in  general  use.  If  the  novice 
does  adopt  it,  let  him  at  least  watch  good  players  when- 
ever he  can,  not  with  any  idea  of  trying  their  severe 
volleys,  &c.,  but  in  order  to  see  the  position  of  the 
feet  and  of  the  racket  in  play.  When  he  has  learned 
to  play  fairly  well,  he  should  still  watch  good  players 
at  every  opportunity  ;  but  what  he  then  needs  to  study 
is  the  position  in  the  court  where  they  stand ;  when 

B 


Lawn-Tennis. 


they  go  forward  and  when  back,  and  what  balls  they 
volley  instead  of  playing  off  the  ground.  He  will,  in 
this  way,  get  some  idea  of  the  form  which  he  should  try 
to  acquire.  Mr.  E.  L.  Williams,  in  a  recent  article  in 
the  Lawn -Tennis  Magazine,  advises  playing  against  a 
wall,  and  I  believe  in  the  benefit  obtained  from  this 
sort  of  practice.  In  fact,  I  have  often  advised  players 
to  try  it.  Any  sort  of  a  wall  will  do  ;  the  wall  of  a 
room,  if  there  is  nothing  better.  Hit  the  ball  quietly 
up  against  the  wall,  wait  till  it  has  bounded  and  is 
just  beginning  to  fall,  then  hit  it  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible in  the  same  place.  Always  make  a  short  step 
forward  as  you  hit,  with  the  left  foot  in  a  forehanded 
stroke,  and  with  the  right  in  a  backhanded  one.  Try 
to  hold  the  racket  properly  (see  page  10),  and  do  not 
hit  with  a  stiff  arm.  The  shoulder,  elbow,  and  wrist 
ought  all  to  be  left  free,  and  not  held  rigid.  As  soon  as 
you  can  hit  the  ball  up  a  few  times  forehanded,  try  the 
same  thing  backhanded,  and  when  you  are  reasonably 
sure  of  your  stroke,  take  every  ball  alternately  fore  and 
backhanded.  This  will  give  you  equal  practice  in  both 
strokes,  and  will  also  force  you  to  place  the  ball  each 
time.  Add  now  a  line  over  which  the  ball  must  go ;  in 
a  room  a  table  or  bureau  will  do  very  well,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, mark  out  a  small  square  in  which  the  ball  shall 
strike.  This  may  sound  very  childish  to  a  beginner,  but 
I  am  sure  that  very  valuable  practice  can  be  got  in  this 
way,  and  I  have  spent  a  great  many  hours  in  a  room  at 
this  occupation.  After  a  time  you  should  volley  every 
ball,  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other.  Then  half- 
volley,  and  after  that  try  all  the  different  combinations: 
volley  forehanded,  and  half-volley  backhanded,  &c. 


How  to  Learn  to  Play. 


Always  stick  to  some  definite  plan,  as  in  that  way  you 
get  practice  in  placing.  There  is  another  stroke  that 
can  well  be  learned  in  this  way.  Hit  the  ball  up  against 
the  wall  so  that  it  will  strike  the  ground  on  your  left 
and  go  completely  by  you,  then  step  across  and  back- 
ward with  your  right  foot,  swing  on  the  left  foot  till 
ycur  back  is  towards  the  wall,  and  try  to  return  the  ball 
by  a  snap  of  your  wrist.  With  practice,  you  will  manage 
to  return  a  ball  that  has  bounded  five  or  six  feet  beyond 
you.  Try  also  the  same  stroke  on  the  forehand  side. 
You  can  get  in  this  way  alone  more  practice  in  hand- 
ling a  racket,  and  in  making  the  eye  and  hand  work 
together,  than  you  are  likely  to  get  in  ten  times  the 
length  of  time  out  of  doors.  Ask  some  friend,  who  really 
knows,  to  tell  you  if  you  hold  your  racket  in  the  right  way, 
and  to  point  out  to  you  any  faults  of  style  that  you  may 
have.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  not  to  handicap 
yourself  at  the  start  by  acquiring  bad  form.  Good  form 
is  simply  the  making  of  the  stroke  in  the  best  way,  so 
as  to  get  the  greatest  effect  with  the  least  exertion. 
While  nothing  can  be  more  graceful  than  good  form,  no 
one  should  make  it  his  chief  object  to  play  gracefully  ; 
the  result  will  only  be  to  make  him  look  absurd. 

When  you  begin  to  play  games,  do  not  try  all  the 
strokes  that  you  see  made.  Begin  by  playing  quietly 
in  the  back  of  the  court.  Try  simply  to  get  the  ball 
over  the  net,  and  to  place  to  one  side  or  the  other,  and 
to  do  this  in  good  form,  i.e.,  to  hold  the  racket  properly, 
and  to  carry  yourself  in  the  right  way.  As  you  improve 
you  can  increase  the  speed  of  your  strokes,  and  can 
play  closer  to  the  side-lines.  Remember  that  a  volleying 
game  is  harder  to  play,  and  you  should  learn  to  play  well 


4  Lawn-Tennis. 


off  the  ground  before  trying  anything  else.  Above  all 
things,  never  half- volley.  If  you  can  return  the  ball  in 
no  other  way,  let  it  go  and  lose  the  stroke.  This  may 
sound  absurd,  but  I  feel  sure  that  most  young  players 
lose  more  by  habitually  trying  to  take  half-volleys  when 
there  is  no  need  of  it,  than  they  gain  by  any  that  they 
may  make.  It  is  a  stroke  that  should  never  be  used  if 
it  is  possible  to  avoid  it.  If  you  make  up  your  mind  to 
let  the  ball  go  unless  you  can  play  it  in  some  other  way, 
you  will  thus  learn  to  avoid  wanting  to  half-volley. 
When  yon  become  a  really  good  player,  you  can  add  this 
stroke  to  your  others,  and  you  will  not  have  got  into  the 
habit  of  using  it  too  often.  It  is  a  mistake  to  play  long 
at  a  time.  For  real  practice  three  sets  a  day  are  quite 
enough.  When  practising  for  matches,  you  can  play  the 
best  of  five  sets  three  times  a  week.  Almost  all  players 
play  too  much,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  season 
many  of  them  are  stale.  Always  try  to  play  with 
some  one  better  than  yourself,  and  take  enough  odds  to 
make  him  work  to  win.  In  the  same  way  give  all  the 
odds  that  you  can. 

Remember,  while  playing,  certain  general  principles. 
Don't  "  fix  "  yourself.  Keep  the  knees  a  little  bent,  and 
your  weight  thrown  forward  and  on  both  feet,  so  that 
you  can  start  in  any  direction.  If  the  feet  are  parallel 
it  is  impossible  to  start  quickly.  Always  keep  moving, 
even  if  you  do  not  intend  to  go  anywhere.  Play  quietly 
and  steadily  without  any  flourish,  and  try  to  win  every 
stroke.  A  great  many  players  seem  unable  to  keep 
steadily  at  work,  and  play  a  careless  or  slashing  stroke 
every  now  and  then.  This  is  a  great  mistake,  and  one 
often  loses  a  great  deal  by  it  Try  to  acquire  a  habit  of 


How  to  Learn  to  Play. 


playing  hard  all  the  time.  The  racket  should  be  carried 
in  both  hands,  for,  if  you  let  it  hang  down,  more  time 
will  be  needed  to  get  it  across  your  body.  Never  cut 
nor  twist  a  ball  except  in  service;  it  tends  to  make  the 
ball  travel  more  slowly,  and  will  deceive  nobody.  The 
underhand  stroke  puts  a  little  twist  on  the  ball,  but  it  is 
an  over  twist  and  not  a  side  one.  Try  to  meet  the  ball 
fairly,  i.e.,  to  bring  the  racket  against  it  in  the  line  of  its 
flight ;  or,  in  other  words,  don't  hit  across  the  ball. 

Watch  carefully  your  own  weak  points.  Any  good 
player  ought  to  be  able  to  show  them  to  you,  and  you 
should  then  try  to  improve  your  game  where  it  is  weak. 
If  you  practise  carefully  and  your  only  object  is  to  learn, 
there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  get  into  the  second 
class.  To  be  among  the  very  best  players  requires 
physical  advantages,  as  well  as  a  stout  heart  and  great 
interest  in  the  game.  One  is  often  advised  to  pretend  to 
put  a  ball  in  one  place  and  then  to  put  it  in  another. 
I  can  assure  you  that  it  does  not  pay.  Too  many 
strokes  are  lost  by  it.  Exactly  the  same  thing  is  true 
about  pretending  to  go  to  one  side  and  then  coming  back 
again.  One  is  apt  to  get  off  one's  balance  in  making  such 
a  feint,  and  it  is  quite  hard  enough  to  get  into  position  for 
a  ball  without  having  to  start  the  wrong  way  first. 

It  is  well  to  observe  the  rules  carefully  in  practice,  or 
else  they  may  distract  one's  attention  in  a  match.  This 
is  especially  true  of  the  service.  Frequently  foot-fault- 
ing in  a  match  spoils  your  service  altogether.  In  prac- 
tice you  should  always  see  that  the  net  is  at  the 
'right  height,  and  should  always  use  good  balls.  It  is 
bad  practice,  and  is  also  very  unsatisfactory,  to  play  with 
bad  balls.  When  the  weather  is  too  bad  to  use  good 
balls  it  is  too  bad  to  play  at  all. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  COURT  AND  IMPLEMENTS  OF  THE  GAME. 

THE  court  is  78  ft.  long.  It  is  27  ft.  wide  for  the  single 
game,  and  36  ft.  for  the  double  game.  At  most  club- 
grounds  a  measuring-chain  is  used  to  mark  out  the 
court,  but  for  a  private  court  a  chain  is  seldom  at  hand. 
The  easiest  way  to  mark  out  a  court  without  a  chain  is 
to  use  two  long  measures.  Select  the  place  for  the  net ; 
then  measure  36  ft.  across ;  at  each  end  put  in  2.  peg, 
and  over  each  peg  slip  the  ring  of  a  measure.  On  one 
measure  take  39  ft.,  and  on  the  other  53  ft.  f  in.  ;  pull 
both  taut,  and  the  place  where  the  two  ends  meet  will  be 
one  corner  of  the  court.  Put  in  a  peg  at  2 1  ft.  from  the 
net  for  the  end  of  the  service-line.  Next  transpose 
the  measures  and  repeat  the  same  process.  This  will 
give  the  other  corner  of  the  court,  and  at  2 1  ft.  will  be 
the  other  end  of  the  service-line,  and  one  half  of  your 
court  is  ready.  Take  exactly  the  same  measures  on  the 
other  side  of  the  net,  and  the  measurement  of  your  court 
is  complete.  The  side-lines  of  the  single  court  are  made 
by  marking  off  4  ft.  6  in.  from  each  end  of  the  base-lines, 
and  running  lines  parallel  to  the  side-lines  of  the  double 
court  from  one  base-line  to  the  other.  Everything  neces- 
sary is  thus  found  except  the  central-line,  which  runs  from 
the  middle  of  one  service-line  to  the  middle  of  the  other. 


The  Court  and  Implements  of  the  Game.  7 

The  posts  of  the  net  stand  3  ft.  outside  of  the  side-lines. 
If  the  court  is  intended  for  double  play  only,  the 
inner  side-lines  need  not  be  carried  farther  from  the  net 
than  the  service-lines.  If  a  single  court  only  is  to  be 
marked  out,  the  diagonal  is  about  47  ft.  5  in.,  instead 
of  53  ft.  f  in. 

Net. — The  net  should  be  bound  along  the  top  with 
heavy  white  cotton  or  duck,  to  the  depth  of  two  or 
three  inches.  Without  this  binding  it  is  very  difficult 
to  see  the  top  of  the  net  in  a  bad  light.  The  most 
important  points  in  a  net  are  that  the  meshes  should  be 
too  small  to  allow  a  ball  to  pass  through  them,  and  that 
the  twine  should  not  be  so  large  as  to  obstruct  the  view 
of  the  opposite  court. 

Shoes. — There  is  little  to  say  about  shoes,  although 
one's  comfort  depends  a  great  deal  on  them.  They 
should  be  a  little  too  large,  with  the  toes  square  or 
round,  but  never  pointed.  Those  made  of  buckskin,  with 
leather  straps  over  the  toes,  are  the  most  comfortable. 
For  the  soles  no  rubber  compares  with  steel  points — 
i.e.,  small  nails  about  five-eighths  of  an  inch  long,  driven 
into  the  sole  of  the  shoe,  and  protruding  from  it  about 
one-quarter  to  three-eighths  of  an  inch.  Points  injure 
the  ground  less  than  rubber,  as  to  a  great  degree  they 
prevent  slipping.  For  gravel  or  asphalt  the  best  soles 
are  made  of  very  soft  red  rubber,  which  lasts  a  long 
time  and  is  very  easy  to  the  feet. 

Balls. — Ayres's  balls  are  used  at  every  tournament  of 

importance  in  England,  and,  while  this  is  the  case,  it  is 

'necessary  for  tournament  players  to  practise  with  them, 

though  those  of  some  other  manufacturers  are  quite  as 

good  for  ordinary  play. 


Lawn-  Tennis. 


Rackets. — The  choice  of  a  racket  is  an  important 
matter,  and  it  is  also  a  difficult  one.  Young  players 
seem  to  take  pleasure  in  selecting  the  most  ex- 
traordinary rackets  in  a  shop.  Let  me  strongly 
advise  them  to  avoid  all  unusual  handles,  heads,  or 
methods  of  stringing.  All  these  eccentricities  are  useless 
at  the  best.  Nothing  is  so  good  as  the  simplest  form  of 
racket,  possessing  an  octagonal  handle,  and  strung  in  the 
usual  way.  Such  a  racket  is  used  by  all  the  better  match- 
players  in  England.  Opinions  differ  as  to  what  the  exact 
size  of  the  head  should  be,  but  it  is  certain  that  there  is 
nothing  to  be  gained  by  having  it  square  or  triangular. 
Again,  the  edges  of  the  rim  should  not  be  bevelled.  It 
only  weakens  the  frame,  while  it  does  not  increase  the 
size  of  the  playing  face  of  a  racket  in  the  smallest 
degree.  A  ball  must  be  hit  almost  exactly  in  the  centre 
of  the  racket  to  make  a  stroke  at  all,  for,  if  hit  so 
near  the  edge  that  the  bevelled  rim  can  affect  it,  it  can- 
not possibly  go  any  distance. 

As  regards  the  proper  weight  of  a  racket,  14^  oz.  is 
heavy  enough  for  any  one.  I  know  of  only  two  of  the 
well-known  players  who  use  heavier  rackets  than  this. 
I  should  advise  any  one  learning  to  play  to  get  a 
racket  of  14^  oz.,  and  he  can  afterwards  get  one  of  14! 
oz.  should  he  feel  that  his  first  one  is  too  light.  There 
can  be  no  question  that  a  light  racket  can  be  more 
easily  brought  round  than  a  heavy  one,  and  is  more 
easily  controlled  in  every  way.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
racket  must  have  wood  enough  in  the  frame  to  make  it 
perfectly  unyielding  when  striking  a  ball,  and  must  be 
heavy  enough  to  give  an  effective  stroke.  These  con- 
ditions are  fulfilled  in  a  racket  of  14^  to  14^  oz. ;  a 


The  Court  and  Implements  of  the  Game.  9 

lighter  one  loses  something  in  power,  and  a  heavier  one 
is  unmanageable  for  most  men.  One  meets  from  time 
to  time  a  player  with  a  racket  of  15  or  15  §  oz.,  who 
shows  it  with  pride,  and  explains  that  his  wrist  is  so 
strong  that  he  requires  an  unusual  racket.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  such  a  player  seldom  uses  his  wrist  at  all,  but 
rather  he  should  be  thankful  f;r  the  advantage  that 
a  good  wrist  gives  him,  instead  of  handicapping  himself 
by  using  an  absurdly  heavy  racket.  Almost  more 
important  than  the  weight  of  the  racket  is  its  balance. 
By  balance  is  meant  the  way  in  which  a  racket  hangs 
in  the  hand.  Many  rackets  of  14  oz.  feel  as  heavy  as 
others  of  14!  oz.  There  is  only  one  way  of  judging  the 
balance,  and  that  is  by  holding  the  racket  by  the  end  of 
the  handle,  as  if  in  actual  play,  and  trying  how  it  comes 
up,  and  if  it  feels  light  or  heavy.  If  it  comes  up  heavily, 
discard  it  at  once  and  try  another.  Should  it  feel  light 
and  easily  managed,  weigh  it  yourself,  no  matter  whether 
the  weight  is  stamped  on  it  or  not.  It  may  be  that  it 
felt  well  balanced  only  because  it  was  too  light  for  use ; 
but  should  it  be  found  to  weigh  14^ — 14^  oz.,  the  balance 
of  it  must  be  good.  You  should  look  carefully  at  the 
workmanship  and  see  that  the  wood  is  free  from  knots 
and  cracks.  The  grain  should  run  evenly  round  the 
whole  frame.  Look  especially  at  the  parts  of  the  hoop, 
just  above  the  centre-piece,  for  there  it  is  that  a  racket 
usually  breaks.  See  also  that  the  wedge  is  quite 
firm.  Choose  a  racket  in  which  the  wood  is  left  in  the 
natural  state,  as  varnish,  &c.,  is  often  used  to  conceal 
a  flaw. 

A  racket  should  be  very  nearly,  if  not  quite,  straight 


1C  L  awn-  Tennis. 


For  myself,  I  prefer  one  with  a  very  slight  bend  to  one 
side,  but  I  can  give  no  reason  for  doing  so. 

No  player  should  have  a  racket  that  he  cannot  hold 
absolutely  stiff  from  the  very  end  of  the  handle.  It  is 
essential  that  a  racket  should  be  light  enough  for  him 
to  volley  with  it  at  the  very  end  of  his  reach  without  any 
yielding  in  his  wrist.  If  his  wrist  is  not  strong  enough 
to  stand  this  strain  with  a  racket  of  the  usual  weight,  it 
is  better  for  him  to  use  a  lighter  one.  Though  losing 
something  in  the  severity  of  his  strokes,  he  will  gain 
enough  in  sureness  to  more  than  make  up  for  it. 

How  to  hold  the  Racket — One  finds  many  different 
ways  of  holding  the  racket  among  good  players,  and  no 
exact  rule  has  ever  been  received  as  correct.  Still, 
nearly  all  good  players  observe  certain  principles  in 
holding  a  racket.  It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  you 
should  be  able  to  play  a  ball  either  fore-  or  back- handed 
without  changing  your  hold  on  the  racket.  If  the  hold  is 
changed,  there  is  always  danger  of  not  getting  the 
racket  into  the  right  position  quickly  enough.  Such  a 
change  must  require  a  certain  amount  of  time  and 
attention,  which  cannot  well  be  spared  in  sharp  play. 
The  method  that  I  should  recommend  is  as  follows  : — 
Lay  the  racket  on  a  table  with  the  smooth  side  up. 
Open  the  hand  with  the  thumb  nearly  at  right  angles 
to  the  fingers,  and  then  clasp  the  handle  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  its  upper  right  edge  (or  what  would  be  its 
right  edge  if  it  were  cut  square)  fit  into  the  hollow  of  the 
joint  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger.  In  closing  the 
fingers  on  the  handle,  do  not  put  them  directly  round  it, 
but  with  the  first  joint  of  each  finger  slanting  up  the 
handle,  which  will  cause  the  top  joints  to  slant  down  the 


The  Court  and  Implements  of  the  Game.  1 1 

other  way.  The  first  two  fingers  should  be  a  little 
separated  from  the  other  fingers,  and  from  each  other. 
The  end  of  the  handle  should  be  well  within  the  hand, 
with  the  little  finger  round  the  leather  rim.  The  thumb 
should  not  go  round  on  to  the  ends  of  the  fingers,  but 
should  slope  upwards  across  the  upper  side  of  the 
handle. 


CHAPTER  III, 

SERVICE. 

THERE  afre  many  ways  in  which  the  service  can  be 
delivered,  but  there  is  only  one  in  general  use.  This  is 
the  common  overhand  service  delivered  from  above  the 
right  shoulder,  with  or  without  twist  on  the  ball. 

To  serve  it,  throw  the  ball  up  above  the  head  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  the  height  at  which  it  is  to  be 
struck,  and  strike  it  as  it  pauses  before  falling.  Be 
careful  to  throw  the  ball  well  back  and  about  on  a  line 
with  the  ear.  If  it  is  thrown  forward  the  service  will 
probably  go  into  the  net.  In  serving,  the  arm  should  be 
extended  to  almost  its  full  length,  so  as  to  get  the 
greatest  possible  reach,  and  the  shoulder  should  be  left 
free  and  not  held  stiff.  When  serving  for  speed  only, 
the  face  of  the  racket  should  be  brought  fairly  against 
the  ball  with  no  twist  whatever,  and  the  head  of  the 
racket  should  be  made  to  come  over  on  the  top  of  the 
ball  by  a  sharp  bend  of  the  wrist.  When  trying  to 
put  twist  on  the  service,  the  racket  should  not  meet  the 
ball  fairly,  but  should  pass  round  on  the  outside  of  it ; 
this  will  give  a  twist  from  right  to  left. 

A  very  uncommon  and  difficult  service  can  be  given 
by  throwing  up  the  ball  a  little  to  the  left  of  one's  head, 


Service.  13 


and  carrying  the  racket  round  on  the  left  hand  side  of 
the  ball,  which  will  give  a  twist  from  left  to  right.  It  is 
possible  to  put  a  heavy  spin  on  the  ball  in  this  way,  and 
the  service  is  effective,  because  it  is  very  uncommon. 

The  next  most  important  service  is  the  underhand 
tvvist  service  delivered  either  fore-  or  back-handed.  To 
begin  with  the  former,  the  player  should  stand  with  the 
feet  near  together  and  his  weight  on  the  right  foot. 
The  racket  should  be  held  nearly  vertical  and  just  to 
the  side  of  the  right  leg.  The  ball  is  dropped  outside, 
and  a  little  in  front  of,  the  racket,  which  is  brought 
forward  against  the  ball,  and  thus,  by  a  quick  inside 
turn  of  the  wrist  imparts  a  strong  twist  to  it.  In 
striking,  the  weight  is  thrown  forward  on  to  the  left  foot, 
and  a  short  step  forward  with  that  foot  is  made  to  give 
pace  to  the  service.  The  service  should  not  be  delivered 
with  a  jerk,  but  by  a  quiet  easy  swing  ;  the  only  really 
quick  motion  being  the  turn  of  the  racket  round  the  ball 
which  gives  the  twist. 

The  backhanded  underhand  service  is  precisely  similar, 
but  is  made  on  the  left  side  with  the  right  foot  forward. 
The  ball  is  struck  with  the  rough  side  of  the  racket,  and 
of  course  breaks  from  left  to  right. 

There  is  only  one  other  service  that  need  be  men- 
tioned. The  arm  is  at  right  angles  to  the  body,  with 
the  elbow  slightly  bent,  and  with  the  head  of  the  racket 
a  little  higher  than  the  wrist.  The  ball  should  be  struck 
at  the  height  of  the  shoulder,  and  the  racket,  after 
striking  the  ball  behind  and  a  little  on  top,  should  open 
and  pass  forward  beneath  it  so  as  to  impart  pure  cut 
to  the  ball.  The  ball  does  not  rise  as  much  as  with 
most  services,  and  is  often  returned  into  the  net  when 


14  Lawn-  Tennis. 


the  service  is  first  tried.  It  is,  however,  useful  only  as 
a  change  service,  or  to  increase  the  chance  of  the  ball's 
shooting,  on  a  wet  ground. 

It   should    be    distinctly    understood    that,  in    giving  i 
any  service,   the  weight  of  the  body  must  be  thrown 
forward  at  the  time  of  striking  ;  otherwise  no  great  speed 
can  be  obtained. 

As  the  rule  now  requires  the  front  foot  to  be  on  the 
base-line  when  the  ball  is  served,  it  is  better  to  put  the 
toe  on  the  line  before  serving.  The  weight  of  the  body 
is  held  a  little  back,  and  is  then  thrown  forward  as  the 
ball  is  struck.  It  is  not  so  easy  to  serve  fast  in  this  way 
as  it  is  by  taking  a  step  forward,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
one  seldom  or  never  serves  a  foot  fault. 

Players  too  often  forget  the  importance  of  placing  the 
service.  It  is  very  hard  to  make  a  good  first  stroke  off 
a  well-placed  service,  even  if  it  be  a  slow  one.  It  is 
also  important  to  conceal  the  direction  of  the  service  as 
long  as  possible,  so  that  one's  opponent  may  not  know 
in  which  corner  of  the  court  to  expect  it. 

Having  described  the  different  kinds  of  service,  we 
have  next  to  consider  which  of  them  should  be  used. 
The  best  working  service  is  probably  the  simple  over- 
hand service  delivered  without  twist.  It  should  be 
placed  down  the  central-line  or  across  to  the  outer 
corner  of  the  court,  and  should  be  served  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible. Should  the  first  service  be  a  fault,  it  is  the  custom 
to  serve  again  in  the  same  way,  but  at  such  a  pace  that 
there  will  be  no  danger  of  a  second  fault.  We  are  often 
told  that  a  good  player  should  cultivate  a  second  ser- 
vice which  should  be  difficult  to  return,  and  at  the  same 
time  should  never  be  a  fault.  I  can  only  say  that  this 


Service.  1 5 


is  easier  said  than  done,  as  no  one  has  yet  succeeded  in 
carrying  it  out.  Again  we  are  told  that  if  a  player  cannot 
serve  a  good  second  service,  he  would  do  better  not  to  try 
a  very  hard  service  the  first  time,  but  to  serve  a  medium- 
paced  service  which  would  be  at  once  reasonably  sure  of 
going  into  court,  and  yet  be  difficult  to  place  on  returning. 
I  must  dissent  entirely  from  this  advice.  I  believe  that 
in  the  single  game  and  with  good  players  the  service  is 
a  distinct  disadvantage.  The  first  service  is  oftener  a 
fault  than  not,  and  the  second  service  can  be  placed 
almost  as  the  striker-out  pleases.  Why  not  then  serve 
a  medium  service  the  first  time  ?  Because  no  service, 
not  even  the  very  slow  second  service,  can  be  placed  so 
sharply  and  accurately  as  a  moderately  fast  one.  It  is  not 
fast  enough  to  place  the  striker-out  at  a  disadvantage, 
and  yet  it  comes  back  more  quickly  in  the  return  than 
a  slower  one  would  do,  and  therefore  leaves  the  server 
less  time  to  get  into  position  for  the  first  return. 
Another  difference,  often  overlooked,  is,  that  a  player 
must  "fix"  himself  to  a  certain  extent  to  deliver  a  service 
of  even  medium  speed.  He  cannot,  therefore,  get  into 
position  as  quickly  after  a  fairly  fast  service  as  after  a 
slow  one,  and  yet  he  will  be  given  less  time  to  do  so. 
Of  course,  he  "fixes"  himself  for  the  first  very  fast  service, 
but,  in  this  case,  he  expects  to  gain  a  distinct  advantage 
should  his  service  be  good.  Off  such  a  service  it  is 
very  difficult  to  make  a  good  first  stroke,  and  the  server 
will  probably  have  a  chance  to  come  forward  and  finish 
the  rest  with  a  volley. 

My  own  feeling  is  that  the  server  must  start  at  a  dis- 
advantage unless  he  can  deliver  a  severe  first  service. 
In  any  other  case  he  must  be  content  to  stay  back, 


1 6  Lawn-Tennis. 


even  outside  his  court,  while  his  opponent  is  forward, 
and  his  object  for  the  time  must  be  rather  to  save  the 
rest*  than  to  win  it. 

For  a  second  service  the  forehanded  underhand  twist 
is  useful,  especially  when  served  into  the  left  court%  It  is 
not  in  itself  difficult  to  return,  but  it  keeps  low,  and 
will  often  twist  a  little  more  or  a  little  less  than  the 
striker-out  expects,  thus  preventing  him  from  making  a 
severe  first  stroke. 

It  sometimes  pays  to  place  such  a  service  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  outer  corner  of  the  court,  and  to  follow 
it  up  almost  to  the  net.  One  would  think  that  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  passing  the  server  as  he  comes 
forward,  but  it  requires  a  very  accurate  first  stroke  to 
do  so.  If  the  stroke  is  not  well-placed,  there  will  be  a 
chance  for  a  sharp  volley  which  should  win  the  rest.  It 
needs  great  quickness  to  make  such  a  volley,  and  no  one 
should  take  such  a  risk  unless  he  can  volley  really  well. 
In  trying  such  a  coup  as  this,  he  must  take  into  account 
what  his  chance  of  winning  the  rest  will  be  if  he  gives 
an  easy  second  service  and  stays  back.  If  he  finds  that 
he  has  been  losing  twice  out  of  three  times  on  his  second 
service,  it  is  well  worth  while  to  try  going  up,  especially 
as  it  is  very  annoying  to  his  adversary  if  it  comes  off. 

Many  players  have  an  idea  that  at  40-0  or  at  40-15 
it  pays  to  serve  the  second  service  at  full  speed,  on  the 
ground  that  at  such  a  score  the  risk  is  justifiable.  This 
surely  is  a  mistake.  If  the  server  keeps  to  the  game  by 
which  he  has  gained  such  an  advantage  he  will  probably 
win  one  stroke  in  the  next  two  or  three.  But  if  he  sees 
fit  to  take  such  liberties  as  to  serve  twice  at  full  speed 

*  Or  "  rally  "  as  it  is  sometimes  improperly  termed. 


Service.  1 7 

he  will  probably  find  the  score  level  before  he  knows  it, 
and  his  opponent  playing  with  increasing  confidence. 

I  should  strongly  advise  a  player  to  learn  thoroughly 
the  reverse  overhand  service,  not  only  that  it  is  unusual 
and  effective,  but  because  one  looks  to  the  left  to  serve 
it.  You  can  in  this  way  serve  overhand,  no  matter  where 
the  sun  may  be.  With  the  sun  on  the  right  the  common 
overhand  service  is  nearly  useless,  because  the  danger  of 
looking  at  the  sun  i:  so  £r«nt.  You  may  get  the  service 
over  all  right  and  then  be  quite  unable  to  see  the 
return. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FIRST   STROKE. 

BY  first  stroke  is  meant  the  return  of  the  service.  I  may 
safely  say  that  more  depends  on  this  stroke  than  on 
any  other.  If  the  first  stroke  is  good,  the  striker-out 
should  have  a  decided  advantage  ;  if  bad,  he  is  almost 
at  the  server's  mercy.  What  the  first  stroke  should  be 
depends  on  the  service  and  on  the  skill  of  the  opponent. 
Off  a  very  fast  service  it  is  difficult  to  make  a  good  first 
stroke,  because  the  slightest  mistake  will  be  enough  to 
send  the  ball  into  the  net  or  out  of  court.  If,  however, 
the  first  stroke  is  made  exactly  right,  it  is  more  crushing 
in  proportion  to  the  speed  of  the  service.  The  server 
has  had  to  fix  himself  to  give  a  very  fast  service,  and  no 
time  is  left  him  to  recover  for  the  return.  The  difficulty 
of  a  very  severe  return  of  a  very  fast  service  is  so  great 
that  it  must  be  looked  on  as  fortunate,  even  among  good 
players.  It  is  always  very  hard  to  foresee  in  just  what 
place  the  service  will  pitch,  and,  therefore,  the  striker-out 
cannot  prepare  himself  for  any  particular  stroke.  He 
must  be  ready  to  return  the  ball  ;  that  is  the  first  point. 
For  the  rest,  he  must  return  it  as  severely  as  he  safely  can, 
and  into  that  part  of  the  court  where  it  will  most  readily 


First  Stroke.  19 


go.  By  this  I  do  not  mean  that  the  service  should  be 
returned  purposely  into  the  middle  of  the  court,  but 
every  fast  ball  is  more  naturally  returned  in  one  direc- 
tion than  in  another,  and  all  I  advise  is  that  a  very  fast 
service  should  be  returned  into  whatever  part  of  the 
court  it  is  easiest  to  put  it.  If  the  first  service  comes 
off  and  is  very  fast,  it  will  almost  always  give  the 
advantage,  and  the  striker-out  must  be  content  to  yield 
the  position  and  to  play  for  safety. 

Very  different  is  the  case  with  the  second  service. 
The  server  is  no  longer  trying  for  an  advantage,  and 
the  striker-out  can  choose  the  way  in  which  he  will 
begin  the  attack.  The  server  will  now  probably  be  far 
back  in  the  court — about  the  middle  of  the  base-line  or 
a  little  behind  it — and  the  chances  are  that  he  will 
succeed  in  returning  the  first  stroke,  no  matter  where  it 
may  be  placed.  It  would,  therefore,  require  an  un- 
usually severe  stroke  to  finish  the  rest  at  once,  and  it  is 
running  too  great  a  risk  to  attempt  such  a  stroke.  The 
ball  should  be  played  sharply  down  the  side-line  or 
across  the  court  to  the  farther  side-line,  so  as  to  put  the 
server  on  the  defensive  at  the  start.  Of  this  I  shall 
speak  more  fully  in  treating  of  the  "  game  "  ;  at  present 
I  shall  only  try  to  explain  what  strokes  there  are  to 
use. 

I. — The  most  common  and,  perhaps,  the  safest  stroke 
is  to  play  the  ball  down  the  side-line  into  the  corner, 
especially  when  the  service  has  been  into  the  right  court, 
as  this  brings  the  return  into  the  backhand  corner,  and 
few  players  are  as  good  back-  as  fore-handed. 

2. — One  can  also  return  diagonally  across  the  court 
to  the  far  corner.  This  stroke  should  be  played  very 


2O  Lawn-Tennis. 


hard,  for  if  made  slowly  there  is  a  chance  for  an  easy 
return.  Moreover,  if  time  is  given  him,  the  server  may 
come  forward  and  meet  the  ball  in  the  middle  of  the 
court  and  kill  it  by  a  sharp  volley.  For  this  reason  it  is 
better  not  to  play  this  stroke  if  the  server  is  coming  up, 
but  to  play  either  Nos.  I  or  3. 

3. — There  is  another  stroke,  and  the  most  difficult  of 
all.  It  is  to  play  the  ball  slowly  across  the  court  to  the 
farther  side-line.  The  ball  should  strike  the  ground  as 
near  to  the  net  as  possible,  so  that  a  player  who  is 
coming  forward  cannot  reach  it  before  it  has  bounded 
and  passed  on  across  the  side-line.  If  made  correctly, 
there  is  no  answer  to  the  stroke,  except  a  half-volley. 
It  is  an  essential  part  of  the  stroke  that  it  should  be 
played  very  slowly,  or  else  the  ball  must  go  out  of 
court. 

4. — Sometimes,  but  very  seldom,  one  has  to  lob  the 
first  stroke  ;  for  instance,  when  the  first  service  has  been 
very  severe,  and  the  server  has  followed  it  up  close,  one 
may  be  unable  to  make  a  good  stroke  to  one  side  of  the 
court,  and,  if  so,  it  is  best  to  lob. 

Again,  the  server  will  at  times  follow  up  his  second 
service,  and,  if  he  gets  very  close,  the  safest  stroke  will 
be  a  lob  over  his  head  into  the  back  of  the  court. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   STROKE. 

BY  stroke,  I  mean  the  motion  with  which  a  ball  is 
returned  off  the  ground.  Of  course,  all  balls  cannot  be 
played  in  the  same  way  ;  that  must  depend  on  how  they 
come,  and  on  the  hardness  of  the  ground.  As  a  rule, 
however,  a  player  can  choose  in  which  of  two  ways  he 
will  play  the  ball.  He  can  take  the  ball  at  the  top  of 
its  bound,  in  which  case  the  head  of  the  racket  is  held  a 
little  higher  than  the  hand,  and  the  racket  itself  is 
nearly  horizontal.  The  stroke  is  made  with  the  forearm 
and  wrist,  and  the  arm  is  straightened  as  the  ball  is 
struck. 

The  other  method  is  to  let  the  ball  fall  till  within  a 
foot  or  so  of  the  ground,  and  then,  so  to  speak,  to  lift  it 
over  the  net.  The  racket  is  held  upright,  with  the  head 
a  little  back  and  the  hand  forward.  The  ball  is  taken 
beside,  and  a  little  in  front  of,  the  right  foot,  and  a  short 
step  forward  is  made  with  the  left.  In  striking,  the 
.racket  is  raised,  not  from  the  shoulder,  but  from  the 
elbow,  and  the  wrist  is  bent  backward.  The  direction 
of  the  ball  is  given  by  turning  the  wrist  at  the  moment 
of  striking,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  very  difficult  for 


22  Lawn-  Tennis. 


one's  opponent  to  foresee  where  the  ball  will  be  put.  I 
should  explain  that  the  stroke  is  not  meant  to  be  a 
"  slam,"  but  a  quiet,  regular  stroke,  whose  strength  lies 
less  in  its  speed  than  in  its  accuracy,  and  in  the  diffi- 
culty of  foreseeing  its  direction. 

Of  the  two  strokes  I  much  prefer  the  second  one.  It 
gives  one's  opponent  more  time  to  place  himself,  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  one  gains  both  in  accuracy  and  severity 
of  stroke,  and  can  also  change  the  direction  of  the 
ball  at  the  last  moment. 

On  a  very  hard  ground  the  horizontal  stroke  is  the 
more  common,  because  the  ball  rises  so  high  that  one 
would  have  to  go  very  far  back  in  the  court  to  play  it 
with  a  vertical  racket,  and  in  doing  so  would  lose  his 
position.  On  a  slow  ground,  the  chance  for  the  second 
stroke  occurs  all  the  time. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  VOLLEY. 

To  become  an  adept  at  the  game,  the  player  must  be  able 
to  volley  well ;  he  must  know  how  the  stroke  is  made, 
and  he  must  be  able  to  make  it,  no  matter  where  the  ball 
may  come — high  or  low,  right  or  left,  straight  or  dropping. 
One  common  principle  applies  to  all  volleys,  namely, 
that  the  ball  must  not  be  allowed  to  hit  the  racket,  but 
the  racket  must  hit  the  ball,  and  a  distinct  stroke  should 
be  made.  A  step  should  always  be  taken  with  the 
opposite  foot,  i.e.,  with  the  left  foot  in  a  forehanded 
stroke,  and  with  the  right  in  a  backhanded  one. 

As  an  example,  take  the  ordinary  forehand  volley  at 
about  the  height  of  the  shoulder  (a  very  common  stroke). 
The  elbow  should  be  away  from  the  body  and  not  down 
by  the  side,  the  wrist  a  little  bent  upwards,  and  the  head 
of  the  racket  above  the  hand.  In  striking,  the  weight 
is  thrown  forward  on  to  the  left  foot,  which  is  brought  out 
with  a  good  step  in  front  of  the  right  foot  and  a  little 
across  it.  There  is  no  preliminary  swing  of  the  racket 
backward.  The  head  of  the  racket  should  be  brought 
forward  on  to  the  ball  with  a  sharp  bend  of  the  wrist,  and 
the  arm  should  be  straightened  to  nearly  its  full  length. 


24  Lawn-Tennis. 


The  racket  should  not  be  checked  suddenly  after  strik- 
ing the  ball,  but  should  swing  well  forward,  and  then  by 
an  easy  motion  the  head  will  come  up  into  the  left 
hand,  where  the  centre-piece  should  always  be  carried 
between  the  strokes.  The  elbow,  shoulder,  and  wrist 
should  all  be  left  free,  and  not  held  stiff  while  the  stroke 
is  made. 

The  backhand  volley  is  made  in  much  the  same  way. 
The  elbow  should  be  raised  and  away  from  the  body  ; 
the  head  of  the  racket  should  be  just  over  the  left 
shoulder,  and  the  stroke  should  be  made  by  stepping 
forward  with  the  right  foot,  straightening  the  forearm, 
and  bringing  the  head  of  the  racket  sharply  forward  by 
bending  the  wrist.  It  is  this  turn  of  the  wrist  at  the 
last  moment  of  the  stroke  that  gives  sharpness  and 
character  to  all  volleys. 

It  is  much  easier  to  volley  a  ball  at  the  height  of  the 
shoulder  back  than  forehanded,  and  it  is  worth  while  to 
remember  this  fact  when  trying  to  pass  a  volleyer  from 
the  back  of  the  court. 

These  two  volleys  are  used  with  the  ball  from  four  to 
six  feet  from  the  ground,  both  in  coming  forward  from 
the  back  of  the  court,  and,  more  often,  when  already 
in  position,  and  your  opponent  tries  to  pass  you.  Both 
strokes  are  easy  in  themselves  if  the  ball  comes  within 
reach  and  if  you  can  foresee  on  which  side  it  is  coming. 
The  real  difficulty  lies  in  getting  into  position  for  the 
stroke,  and  not  in  the  stroke  itself. 

A  more  difficult  ball  to  volley  is  one  that  is  only  a 
foot  or  so  off  the  ground.  Such  a  ball  is  best  volleyed 
forehanded,  with  a  vertical  racket.  The  hand  comes  out 
directly  in  front  of  the  body,  and  the  stroke  is  made 


The  Volley.  25 


almost  entirely  by  the  wrist.  There  should  be  little  or 
no  swing  of  the  racket  beforehand. 

A  ball  a  little  higher,  that  is,  between  waist  and  knee, 
cannot  well  be  volleyed  in  the  same  way.  One  must 
step  to  one  side  or  the  other  to  get  room  to  return  it, 
and  it  is  easier  to  play  it  backhanded.  One  should  step 
forward  and  bend  well  down  to  meet  the  ball  and  volley 
it  with  the  head  of  the  racket  a  little  above  the  hand. 

A  great  deal  of  time  is  saved  by  these  low  volleys, 
and  one  is  sometimes  caught  while  coming  forward  or 
going  back  in  a  position  when  nothing  else  can  be  done. 
It  is  a  stroke  that  a  player  should  learn  to  make  as 
well  as  possible,  but  it  is  not  one  that  he  should  use 
except  to  gain  an  advantage  by  saving  time,  or  when  he 
can  do  nothing  else. 

We  now  come  to  a  wholly  different  class  of  volleys, 
namely,  those  of  a  dropping  ball,  as  when  a  weak  return 
is  made  off  a  fast  service,  or  more  often  when  one  player 
is  lobbing  to  drive  his  opponent  back.  In  this  class 
comes  the  "  Smash,"  which  is  simply  a  volley  made  very 
hard,  with  all  the  joints  of  the  arm  free,  so  that  as  soon 
as  the  stroke  is  started  all  control  of  the  racket  is  lost. 
In  a  simple  volley  the  joints  are  not  held  stiff,  but  one 
retains  control  of  the  racket  throughout  the  stroke ;  in 
a  smash  one  lets  the  racket  go  apparently  at  random. 
It  is  not  a  stroke  to  play  except  when  very  close  to  the 
net,  and  even  then  a  more  careful  volley  will  usually  be 
sufficient,  and  far  safer. 

It  is  of  this  volley  that  I  wish  to  speak,  as  the  occasion 
for  it  comes  constantly.  It  must  be  made  hard,  it  must 
be  placed,  and  its  direction  must  not  be  shown  till  the 
last  moment.  Take  the  most  common  case :  you  are 


26  Lawn-Tennis. 


just  in  front  of  the  service-line,  your  opponent  lobs  from 
the  back  of  the  court  and  the  ball  does  not  go  very  far 
beyond  the  service-line.  How  are  you  to  make  the 
stroke  ?  Of  course  the  ball  may  come  in  front  or  on 
either  side,  but  it  travels  so  slowly  that  you  can  usually 
take  it  as  you  please,  and  it  is  best  to  do  so  forehanded. 
You  should  stand  with  your  feet  slightly  apart,  and  in 
striking  should  take  a  short  step  forward,  and  a  little 
across  with  your  left  foot.  The  racket  is  held  close  to  the 
body  with  the  left  hand  round  the  centre-piece  till 
the  ball  comes  within  reach.  Then  lift  the  racket 
quietly  and  strike  without  any  swing  backward  ;  but  the 
racket  should  follow  the  ball  after  the  stroke,  and  not  be 
checked  suddenly.  The  whole  stroke,  from  the  time 
when  the  racket  is  lifted,  should  be  made  without  any 
pause.  One  often  sees  a  player  waiting  for  the  ball  with 
his  racket  lifted  ;  the  effect  is  ridiculous,  and,  what  is  of 
more  importance,  it  is  usually  easy  to  tell  where  he 
means  to  put  the  ball.  The  ball  should  be  taken  at 
about  the  same  height  as  in  service,  but  decidedly  more 
in  front,  because  it  is  nearer  the  net.  The  wrist 
should  be  bent  forward  at  the  end  of  the  stroke  to  bring 
the  head  of  the  racket  down  on  top  of  the  ball. 

Any  lob  that  comes  near  the  middle  of  the  court 
should  be  played  forehanded,  but  when  a  ball  is  much 
to  the  left  of  the  central-line  it  is  better  to  play  it  back- 
handed, as  it  puts  one  too  much  out  of  position  to  get 
on  the  other  side  of  the  ball.  The  stroke  is  played  in  the 
same  way  as  the  forehanded  one,  except  that  the  step 
is  made  with  the  right  foot  and  should  be  in  front  of  the 
left,  but  not  across  it. 

The  easiest  place  to  put  the  ball   is  into  the  back- 


The  Volley.  27 


hand  corner  or  across  to  the  farther  side-line.  Without 
taking  his  eyes  off  the  ball,  the  player  can  usually  tell 
about  where  his  opponent  is,  and  can  place  the  stroke 
accordingly.  In  all  such  volleys  he  should  make  up 
his  mind  just  where  he  means  to  put  the  ball  before  he 
takes  the  step  forward,  and  he  should  not  change  it  even 
if  he  sees  that  his  intention  is  discovered. 

No  rule  can  be  given  for  placing  the  volley,  but  in  any 
case  the  stroke  should  be  severe  enough  to  prevent  the 
next  lob  from  being  as  good  as  the  last.  If  you  do  not 
gain  a  distinct  advantage  by  the  volley  you  are  pretty 
sure  to  be  worse  off  next  time.  It  is  worth  while  to 
take  a  good  deal  of  risk  in  such  a  stroke,  for  the  moment 
that  you  begin  to  play  a  lob  faintheartedly,  you  will  be 
passed  or  driven  back  in  a  stroke  or  two.  One's  object 
should  be  to  kill  the  ball,  if  that  be  possible  ;  if  not,  to 
place  it  so  as  to  get  an  easier  stroke  next  time.  If  you 
can  do  neither  one  nor  the  other,  you  had  better  not 
volley  the  ball  at  all,  but  go  back  and  play  a  defensive 
game  from  the  base-line.  If  you  cannot  attack  you  must 
be  ready  to  defend  yourself,  and  the  place  to  do  that  is 
not  in  the  middle  of  the  court 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   HALF- VOLLEY. 

THE  half-volley  is  the  prettiest  stroke  in  lawn  tennis ;  it 
often  saves  valuable  time,  and  it  helps  one  out  of  many 
difficulties.  There  is  only  one  remark  more  to  be  made 
about  it,  and  that  is,  never  play  it  if  you  can  possibly 
avoid  it.  Unless  played  exactly  right,  it  will  give  an 
easy  return,  and  will  allow  your  opponent  to  gain  the 
advantage  in  position  if  he  did  not  have  it  before.  If 
he  did,  it  will  probably  give  him  a  chance  to  "kill." 

The  worst  part  of  the  stroke  is  that  it  is  a  very 
fascinating  one,  and  it  is,  therefore,  played  a  great  deal 
too  often,  especially  by  young  players. 

The  stroke  consists  in  taking  the  ball  just  as  it  begins 
to  rise  after  striking  the  ground.  It  is  simply  a  question 
of  timing  the  ball.  The  player  cannot  watch  the  ball 
as  he  strikes  it,  and  he  must  trust  to  his  knowledge  of 
the  place  where  the  ball  will  come.  It  is  best  made  with 
the  racket  as  nearly  vertical  as  possible,  with  a  short 
step  forward  and  with  a  "  lift,"  or  upward  motion  of  the 
hand  and  forearm,  at  the  end  of  the  stroke. 

To  return  balls  that  have  already  passed,  one  should 
step  across  with  the  opposite  foot,  and,  stooping  very 


The  Half-  Volley.  29 


low,  should  half-volley  with  a  snap  of  the  wrist.  In 
such  a  case  the  racket  is  nearly  horizontal.  The  great 
point  is  to  time  the  ball  so  as  to  get  it  exactly  in  the 
middle  of  the  racket. 

My  advice  would  be  never  to  use  a  half-volley  if  the 
ball  could  be  returned  in  any  other  way,  and,  if  com- 
pelled to  use  it,  to  put  pace  on  the  ball  and  play  it  as 
a  fast  stroke,  and  not  as  a  slow  one. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   LOB. 

A  LOB  is  a  ball  tossed  in  the  air  so  that  it  shall  fall  far 
back  in  the  court,  and  shall  be  out  of  reach  of  a  player 
standing  as  far  forward  as  the  service-line. 

The  object  is,  of  course,  to  make  a  stroke  that  cannot 
be  volleyed,  except  from  the  back  of  the  court,  where 
the  volley  is  seldom  severe. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  lob — one  with  a  low  curve, 
tossed  just  high  enough  to  be  out  of  reach,  and  the 
other  tossed  very  high  in  the  air  and  meant  to  fall 
almost  vertically. 

The  first  kind  is  used  only  when  one's  opponent  is 
very  far  forward  ;  in  fact,  almost  up  to  the  net.  The 
ball,  being  hit  low,  travels  with  some  speed,  and  there- 
fore gives  little  time  for  a  player  to  get  back  for  it. 

The  other  and  more  common  kind  of  lob  is  used  when 
one  is  at  a  disadvantage,  and  is  near  the  base-line  or 
quite  out  of  court.  The  stroke  is  meant  to  gain  time 
for  one  thing,  and,  if  possible,  to  drive  a  volleyer  back. 
The  higher  the  ball  goes  the  more  perpendicularly  it 
will  fall,  and  the  harder  it  will  be  to  volley. 

It  is    much  easier    to    lob    forehanded,  and  the  ball 


The  Lob.  31 


should  be  taken  well  in  front  of  one,  and  to  the  right  if 
possible.  Always  lob  toward  the  windward  corner  of 
the  court,  but  if  there  is  little  or  no  wind  one  should 
choose  the  backhand  corner. 

Remember  that  a  lob   must  gc  back  nearly  to  the 
base-line  or  it  will  give  an  easy  stroke. 


PART    II. 
CHAPTER     I. 

THE   GAME. 
Section    L 

IN  the  preceding  pages  I  have  tried  to  give  some  idea 
of  the  different  strokes  and  of  the  manner  in  which  they 
are  made.  My  object  now  is  to  take  the  game  as  a 
whole,  and  to  show  in  what  cases  the  different  strokes 
should  be  used. 

Before  this  can  be  done,  we  must  speak  of  the  different 
styles  of  game  that  one  meets.  I  do  not  refer  to  garden- 
party  lawn-tennis,  but  to  the  styles  of  the  best  match- 
players  only. 

Seven  or  eight  years  ago  no  one  thought  of  volleying 
a  ball  that  could  be  easily  played  off  the  ground.  The 
game  consisted  of  carefully  placed  strokes  of  medium 
pace,  and  the  result  was  long,  tedious  rests  of  twenty, 
forty,  and  even  eighty  returns.  The  first  change  in  this 
game  was  caused  by  the  present  champion,  Mr.  W. 
Renshaw,  who  conceived  the  idea  of  going  forward 
almost  to  the  net  and  volleying  everything  that  he 
could  reach.  This  game,  though  brilliant,  was  not 
wholly  successful.  The  volieyer  came  too  close  to  the  net 
and  gave  too  easy  a  chance  for  the  ball  to  go  over  his 


The  Game.  33 


head,  and  probably,  too,  the  volley  was  not  then  of 
sufficient  strength.  The  net  was  at  that  time  four  feet 
high  at  the  posts,  and  the  angle  at  which  a  ball  could 
be  volleyed  was  more  restricted  than  now. 

A  year  later  Mr.  Renshaw  had  changed  his  game  in 
an  important  point ;  he  no  longer  came  close  up,  but 
volleyed  from  the  service-line,  or  a  little  in  front  of  it. 
Complete  success  attended  him,  and  his  style  of  game 
soon  came  to  be  received  as  the  right  one,  and  to  be 
generally  played. 

At  that  time  the  hitting  from  the  back  of  the  court 
was  slow  according  to  modern  ideas,  and  it  was  possible 
to  follow  up  and  volley  almost  every  ball  without  much 
danger  of  being  passed.  The  introduction  of  volleying 
brought  about  a  change  in  the  back-play.  There  was 
clearly  no  use  in  careful  placing  if  the  volleyer  was  given 
time  to  get  in  front  of  the  ball.  It  thus  became  neces- 
sary to  hit  hard  from  the  back  of  the  court  as  well  as  to 
place  the  return,  and  for  the  cases  where  this  could  not 
be  done,  lobbing  was  brought  into  fashion. 

The  improvement  in  the  back-play  in  its  turn  affected 
the  volleying  game.  With  good  placing  and  hard 
hitting  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  volley  as  many  balls 
as  before,  and,  as  a  rule,  the  volleyer  tried  to  make  a 
severe  stroke,  which  should  put  his  opponent  at  a  dis- 
advantage before  coming  forward  to  volley. 

It  is  in  this  state  that  we  find  the  game  now.  It 
seems  a  waste  of  time  to  discuss  the  old  question  of 
"  Volleying  v.  Back-play."  With  the  two  games  pure 
and  simple,  and  with  no  mixture  of  the  two,  I  feel  sure 
that  bad  back-play  will  beat  bad  volleying,  and  that 
good  volleying  will  win  against  good  1  ack-play. 

D 


34  Lawn-  Ten  n  is. 

One  does  not,  however,  see  good  players  confine 
themselves  wholly  to  either  game.  As  I  said  just  now, 
one  cannot  volley  every  ball,  and  one  needs  to  be  able  to 
make  a  severe  stroke  off  the  ground  to  get  into  position 
to  volley.  This  one  can  do  only  by  skill  in  back- play. 
Every  well-known  player  of  the  present  day  believes 
that  both  back-play  and  volleying  are  necessary  for  a 
successful  game,  and  the  question  now  is  not  which  to 
use,  but  how  to  mix  the  two. 

I  believe  that  the  superiority  of  the  champion  lies 
mainly  in  the  completeness  of  his  game,  in  his  ability 
to  play  any  kind  of  game  that  may  be  required.  Mr. 
Lawford  no  longer  plays  wholly  from  the  back  of  the 
court,  but  volleys  a  great  deal,  and  very  effectively  too. 
The  only  player  who  sticks  completely  to  a  back-game 
is  Mr.  Chipp,  and  he  has  told  me  that  he  wishes  that 
he  could  volley.  On  the  other  hand,  perhaps  the  most 
bigoted  volleyer  in  the  world  is  myself,  and  I  wish 
most  sincerely  that  I  knew  how  to  take  a  ball  off  the 
ground. 

It  is  not  possible  to  lay  down  fixed  rules  for  volleying 
certain  balls  and  letting  others  bound  ;  were  it  so,  all 
players  would  play  the  same  kind  of  game,  and  the  dif- 
ference between  them  would  be  only  in  speed  and  accu- 
racy. Every  player  must  judge  for  himself  if  he  can 
volley  any  particular  ball  more  effectively  than  he  can 
play  it  off  the  ground. 

Position  is  nearly  everything  in  the  present  game,  and 
a  player's  first  object  should  be  to  get  into  his  place  ; 
once  there,  the  chances  are  all  in  his  favour.  I  do  not 
mean  that  the  player  nearest  to  the  net  has  necessarily 
the  best  of  it,  that  must  depend  on  the  last  stroke  and 


The  Game.  35 


on  the  place  where  his  opponent  is.  If  he  comes  up 
after  making  a  good  stroke  that  has  driven  his  opponent 
back  to  the  base-line,  he  has  a  great  advantage,  but  if 
his  last  stroke  has  been  slow  and  has  struck  inside  the 
service-line,  he  is  almost  certain  to  be  passed,  if  his 
opponent  does  not  make  a  mistake.  I  cannot  dwell 
enough  on  the  fact  that  there  is  no  use  in  volleying 
unless  a  distinct  advantage  can  be  gained  by  it,  or,  at 
the  worst,  that  the  back  player  must  not  have  an  easier 
return  than  he  had  the  time  before.  The  moment  that 
a  volleyer  fails  to  make  a  severe  or  at  least  a  well-placed 
stroke,  he  is  at  a  disadvantage,  and  would  be  better  ofl 
in  the  back  of  the  court  than  where  he  is.  It  is  seldom 
that  the  two  positions  can  balance,  so  to  speak,  and  if  a 
volleyer  is  not  distinctly  up,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  go 
down.  Of  course  I  do  not  mean  that  every  ball  that  is 
to  be  volleyed  should  be  smashed  ;  far  from  it,  but  I  do 
say  that  a  volley  should  always  be  played  hard  on  to 
the  base-line  or  across  the  court  to  the  side-line.  If 
neither  can  be  done,  it  is  wrong  to  volley  the  ball  at  all. 

Smashing  I  hold  in  great  disrespect.  As  a  rule,  it  is 
a  most  unsafe  stroke,  and,  when  it  can  be  played  without 
risk,  a  hard  volley  will  generally  be  just  as  good.  It  is 
a  great  satisfaction,  both  to  the  gallery  and  to  the  player 
himself,  to  see  a  ball  smashed  through  an  umbrella  or 
a  parasol,  but  it  is  an  amusement  that  should  be  strictly 
confined  to  exhibition  matches. 

Do  not  volley  a  very  low  ball  if  you  can  possibly  help 
It.  For  instance,  one  is  coming  forward,  and  meets  a 
slow  return  that  has  passed  just  over  the  net  and  is 
dropping  fast.  Such  a  ball  must  be  volleyed  upwards 
to  cross  the  net,  and  it  will  therefore  be  impossible  tc* 


3  6  Lawn-  Tenn  is. 

make  a  severe  return,  and  the  stroke  itself  is  a  difficult 
one.  Let  such  a  ball  bound,  unless  time  is  of  unusual 
value.  Off  the  ground  you  will  probably  be  able  to 
make  a  stroke  that  will  give  you  a  greater  advantage 
than  if  you  had  volleyed  the  ball  instead  of  waiting. 

A  difficult  but  useful  stroke  is  the  volleying  a  ball  near 
the  ground  in  the  back  part  of  the  court.  The  player  is 
going  back,  or,  more  often,  coming  forward,  and  meets 
the  ball  about  half-way  between  the  base-line  and  service- 
line.  If  he  can  volley  it  fairly  well  he  can  follow  up  his 
stroke,  and  gain  the  advantage  in  position  which  he 
must  have  yielded  in  going  back  to  take  the  ball  off  the 
ground.  One  saves  a  great  deal  of  time  and  of  exertion 
by  such  a  volley,  but  it  is  a  stroke  that  cannot  be  recom- 
mended to  any  except  a  good  volleyer. 

One  of  the  hardest  balls  to  volley  well  is  a  lob.  It  i> 
easy  enough  to  return  it  over  the  net,  but,  as  I  have  been 
trying  to  explain,  there  is  little  use  in  returning  a  ball 
slowly  into  ths  middle  of  the  court.  I  do  not  believe 
that  it  is  right  to  smash  a  fairly  good  lob,  but  I  think 
that  it  should  be  volleyed  carefully,  but  still  hard,  far 
back  in  the  court,  and,  if  possible,  into  a  corner.  There 
is  a  long  time  to  think  as  a  lob  drops,  and  many  players 
lose  heart  and  decide  to  play  for  safety  instead  of  trying 
to  kill  the  ball.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  safer  to  hit 
fairly  hard,  and  the  moment  that  a  player  begins  to  hit 
gently,  for  fear  of  putting  the  ball  out  of  court,  he 
descends  to  a  lower  level  as  a  player  and  diminishes  his 
own  chance  of  success. 

Speaking  of  returning  lobs  brings  me  to  the  question 
of  lobbing,  as  distinguished  from  low  play.  There  is 
undoubtedly  a  prejudice  against  lobbing,  and  a  feeling 


The  Game.  37 

that  the  low  hitting  makes  the  finer  game.  With  this  I 
have  nothing  to  do.  I  am  simply  looking  for  the  best 
game  that  one  can  play  to  win. 

I  believe  firmly  in  low  hard  hitting  down  the  lines  or 
across  the  court  when  one's  opponent  is  not  quite  in 
position,  as,  for  instance,  when  he  is  just  coming  up,  or 
has  had  a  hard  ball  to  play  and  has  not  yet  recovered 
himself.  If  there  is  a  good  chance  to  pass  him,  try  to  do 
so  by  all  means.  If  you  cannot  pass  him  but  can  make 
a  stroke  that  cannot  be  volleyed  hard,  in  fact,  can  only 
be  stopped,  try  it,  and  the  next  stroke  you  can  probably 
pass  him. 

When,  however,  one  is  in  the  extreme  back  part  of 
the  court,  especially  in  the  middle,  the  chance  of  passing 
a  good  volleyer  seems  to  me  to  be  small.  If  one  is  in 
a  corner  of  the  court,  one  has  two  strokes  to  choose  from, 
one  down  the  side-line  and  the  other  across  the  court. 
If  the  volleyer  does  not  foresee  which  stroke  will  be 
played,  it  is  unlikely  that  he  can  do  more  than  save  the 
ball.  But,  as  just  said,  if  he  is  in  the  middle  of  the 
base-line,  the  angle  at  which  the  forward  player  can  be 
passed  is  very  small,  and  the  chances  are  that  the  ball 
will  be  killed.  In  such  a  case  I  believe  that  it  is  good 
play  to  lob.  It  is  worth  remembering  this  fact,  that  it. 
is  harder  for  your  opponent  to  pass  you  from  the  middle 
of  the  base-line  than  from  the  corners  of  the  court. 
With  a  strong  back-player  against  you,  if  you  do  not 
get  a  chance  to  make  a  severe  stroke  into  the  corner, 
and  have  got  to  return  the  ball  slowly,  you  will  be  safer 
if  you  return  it  to  the  middle  of  the  base-line. 

A  great  objection  to  lobbing  is,  that  much  depends 
on  the  weather,  and,  if  there  is  a  strong  wind,  it  will 


38  Lawn-Tennis. 


be  at  a  great  disadvantage.  Of  course  the  wind  will 
affect  low  hitting  as  well,  but  not  to  the  same  degree. 
When  lobbing  in  a  wind,  always  lob  to  the  windward 
corner,  as,  after  all,  the  main  point  with  a  lob  is  to  put 
it  anywhere  in  the  back  part  of  the  court. 

If  you  see  that  your  opponent  hesitates  to  hit  a  lob 
hard,  be  ready  to  go  in  the  moment  the  chance  comes. 
It  usually  is  easy  to  tell  if  a  player  intends  to  stop  a  lob 
instead  of  hitting  it,  and  it  is  well  worth  while  to  take 
some  risk  in  running  up  to  volley  his  return.  He  will 
probably  be  too  far  forward  in  the  court  to  return  your 
volley  well,  even  if  he  gets  it  at  all. 

If  your  opponent  clearly  does  not  play  lobs  well, 
lob  whenever  there  is  the  slightest  doubt  of  passing  him, 
especially  if  the  sun  is  in  his  eyes.  If  on  the  other 
hand  he  hits  your  lobs  back  hard  into  the  corners,  it  is 
better  not  to  resort  to  them  unless  you  can  do  nothing 
else. 

After  saying  so  much  in  favour  of  lobbing,  I  must 
add  that,  though  I  use  the  stroke  a  great  deal  myself,  I 
believe  that  a  player  should  play  low,  if  any  chance  is 
given  him  to  do  so. 

If  you  do  play  low,  don't  play  directly  down  the 
middle  of  the  court  if  your  opponent  is  standing  there. 
It  is  much  better  to  take  a  greater  risk  and  play  for  the 
side-lines.  Remember  that  it  is  usually  easier  to  pass 
a  volleyer  on  his  forehand  side.  Remember,  also,  that 
the  easiest  ball  to  volley  is  one  hit  low  and  hard,  because 
it  comes  in  nearly  a  straight  line.  For  this  reason, 
especially  when  a  volleyer  is  coming  forward,  the  most 
difficult  stroke  that  you  can  give  him  to  volley  is  one 
hit  slowly  enough  to  drop  low  before  he  can  reach  it. 


The  Game.  39 


If  you  can  make  him  half-volley  there  will  probably  be 
a  chance  to  come  in  yourself. 

It  seems  to  me  a  mistake  to  hit  as  hard  as  one  can 
in  trying  to  pass  a  volleyer.  One  succeeds  more  often 
by  accurate  placing,  and  by  concealing  the  direction  of 
the  stroke  till  the  last  moment,  than  by  its  actual  speed. 
Of  course,  a  fast  stroke  will  give  one's  opponent  less 
time  to  reach  it,  but  the  risk  of  the  ball  going  into  the 
net  or  out  of  court  is  increased  out  of  proportion  to 
the  gain.  It  is  surprising  to  see  how  easily  a  slow  stroke 
will  pass  a  volleyer  if  he  does  not  know  on  which  side 
it  is  coming.  Combined  speed  and  placing  are  perfection, 
but  the  placing  should  be  cultivated  first,  and  the  speed 
increased  as  one  improves. 

Section  IL 

Let  us  now  start  as  if  beginning  a  game,  and  we  will 
take  the  routine  points  as  they  arise. 

To  serve  :  Stand  nearly  near  the  middle  of  the  base- 
line, a  yard,  or  at  the  most  two  yards,  from  the  centre. 
In  this  position  there  is  a  larger  angle,  inside  of  which 
the  service  can  be  placed,  than  if  you  stood  at  one  end 
of  the  base-line,  and,  moreover,  you  are  in  better  position 
to  meet  the  first  stroke. 

If  your  first  service  is  a  fast  one  and  is  good,  follow  it 
up  if  you  can,  and  volley  the  return.  But  remember 
that  your  volley  must  be  severe  enough  to  put  your 
opponent  at  a  decided  disadvantage,  or  he  will  probably 
pass  you  with  the  next  stroke. 

If  your  first  service  is  a  fault,  serve  again  more  slowly. 
You  cannot  put  much  speed  into  your  second  service, 
but  you  can  place  it.  Try  to  serve  well  back  tc  the 


4<D  La^vn-  Tennis. 


service-line,  and  place  it  so  that  your  opponent  will 
have  to  play  it  backhanded,  or  step  to  one  side 
before  returning  it.  I  do  not  mean  that  this  placing 
will  produce  any  great  results,  but  it  will  tend  to 
diminish  the  severity  of  the  first  stroke.  As  soon  as 
you  have  served,  get  back  just  outside  of  the  court,  or, 
if  the  ground  is  low,  stand  on  the  base-line  and  a  very 
little  to  the  left  of  the  middle.  The  first  stroke  is  more 
often  put  into  your  backhand  corner  than  anywhere 
else  ;  few  players  are  quite  as  strong  backhanded,  and 
can,  therefore,  afford  less  time  in  reaching  the  ball. 

One  word  as  to  position.  It  is  impossible  to  start 
quickly  if  your  feet  are  parallel.  Stand  with  the  heels 
about  a  foot  apart,  the  toes  a  little  turned  out,  and  every 
joint  slightly  bent.  The  racket  should  be  close  to  the 
body,  with  the  left  hand  round  the  centre-piece. 

You  are  now  on  the  defensive,  and  your  opponent 
will,  no  doubt,  have  come  forward  in  front  of  the  service- 
line.  In  this  position,  unless  the  first  stroke  has  been  a 
weak  one,  you  can  hardly  hope  to  win  the  rest  off  your 
first  return  ;  it  is  rather  a  time  to  play  for  safety.  If 
you  can  do  so  with  a  fair  chance  of  success,  try  a  fast 
stroke  down  the  side-line.  If  your  opponent  fails  to 
volley  it  well,  you  may  hope  to  pass  him  next  time.  I 
cannot  advise  trying  to  cross  him  on  the  first  return  ;  he 
has  had  time  to  place  himself,  and  if  he  is  not  deceived 
about  your  stroke,  he  ought  to  kill  it.  If  you  see  no 
good  chance  to  play  down  the  lines,  the  best  thing  to 
do  is  to  lob.  Lob  as  high  as  you  safely  can,  so  that 
the  ball  shall  drop  almost  vertically.  Stay  back  outside 
of  the  base-line  and  wait  for  your  opponent  to  volley 
•your  lob.  If  he  hits  it  hard,  probably  you  can  do  little 


The  Game.  41 


else  than  lob  again.  If  he  simply  stops  it,  you  may  be 
able  to  go  in  and  pass  him  ;  if  not,  lob  again  and  go 
up  and  volley  his  return.  This  is  a  winning  stroke  if 
your  opponent  is  afraid  to  let  out  at  a  lob. 

Where  you  cannot  do  this  there  is  nothing  to  do 
except  to  lob  until  you  can  get  a  chance  to  make  a  low 
stroke,  off  which  you  can  get  forward. 

Don't  be  too  anxious  to  go  forward,  but  if  there  is 
any  chance  to  do  so,  take  it  at  once.  Remember  that 
in  lobbing  you  are  on  the  defensive,  and  that  you  want 
to  reverse  the  positions  the  moment  you  can. 

To  return  the  service,  stand  completely  out  of  court  if 
the  ground  is  fast  ;  if  slow,  stand  on  the  base-line.  It 
is  much  better  to  be  too  far  back  than  not  far  enough. 
It  is  easy  to  come  forward,  and  in  coming  forward  you 
naturally  throw  your  weight  into  the  stroke.  When 
going  back  it  is  very  difficult  to  strike  properly,  because 
you  have  to  stop  suddenly  and  throw  your  weight  for- 
ward. You  are  seldom  steady  on  your  feet  when  going 
back,  and  in  any  case  your  weight  is  not  on  the  ball. 

Do  not  go  too  far  to  one  side  to  receive  the  service, 
for  you  may  have  to  step  in  either  direction.  One  can 
actually  reach  farther  backhanded  than  forehanded,  but 
few  players  can  make  the  backhand  stroke  as  well. 

If  the  first  service  into  the  right-hand  court  is  good, 
the  best  working  return  is  probably  the  one  down  the 
side-line  into  the  backhand  corner.  Follow  the  stroke 
up  at  once,  and  take  your  place  a  yard  or  two  in  front 
of  the  service-line. 

Your  opponent  may  try  to  cross  you  ;  he  may  play 
down  the  side-line  or  he  may  lob.  The  hardest  stroke 
for  you  to  return  will  be  the  one  down  your  right  side- 


42  Lawn-Tennis. 


line,  but  most  players  find  it  a  difficult  return  to  make, 
and  prefer  to  play  across  the  court  If  you  sec  that  the 
ball  is  coming  across,  step  forward  two  or  three  paces 
and  volley  it  hard  backhanded  down  into  the  forehand 
corner.  If  it  cornes  down  your  side-line,  do  not  come 
farther  up  for  it,  but  volley  it  back  down  the  same  side- 
line, unless  you  are  sure  that  you  can  play  it  across- 
co'urt  before  your  opponent  can  reach  it.  All  cross-court 
strokes,  unless  very  well  made,  are  dangerous,  as  they 
allow  one's  opponent  to  come  forward,  and  if  he  reaches 
them  he  will  have  the  best  of  the  position. 

Should  your  adversary  lob,  walk  slowly  back  with 
the  ball  and  volley  it  quietly,  but  hard,  into  the  back  of 
the  court.  Other  things  being  equal,  the  backhand 
corner  is  the  best  place  into  which  to  return  a  lob.  If 
your  opponent  lingers  at  all  in  the  left-hand  side  of  his 
court,  volley  directly  across  to  the  forehand  end  of  the 
service-line. 

Don't  be  afraid  to  hit  a  lob.  There  is  really  no  half- 
way ;  if  you  don't  make  a  good  stroke  off  it,  your 
opponent  will  probably  pass  you. 

In  making  these  suggestions  as  to  the  strokes  to  play 
in  special  cases,  I  am  going  as  far  as  I  see  my  way  to 
do  in  pure  theory.  For  the  rest,  I  can  only  call  atten- 
tion to  a  few  general  principles. 

Don't  stand  still  anywhere  in  the  court.  Keep  in 
motion  all  the  time,  for  it  is  far  easier  to  start  quickly 
if  you  do  not  "  fix "  yourself.  The  best  example  is  a 
marker  in  a  tennis  or  racket  court ;  he  seldom  is  running, 
and  yet  he  is  almost  always  where  the  ball  comes.  A 
part  of  this  is  no  doubt  due  to  his  judgment,  but  a  great 
deal  comes  from  never  standing  quite  still. 


The  Game.  43 

Don't  slam  at  a  ball.  It  is  very  common  to  see 
players  "slog"  at  a  fault  or  at  a  ball  that  has  struck  out 
of  court.  It  is  a  great  mistake  and  puts  you  off  your 
stroke.  A  very  common  fault,  if  one  is  running  for  a 
hard  ball  that  can  only  just  be  reached,  is  to  hit  at  it  as 
hard  as  one  can.  The  chances  are  immensely  against 
such  a  stroke  going  over  the  net,  while  if  the  racket 
were  simply  held  in  the  way  the  ball  would  go  back. 

Don't  give  up  a  rest  till  it  is  lost.  Try  to  get  the  ball 
back  even  if  it  seems  to  be  useless.  There  is  always  a 
chance  that  it  may  be  missed. 

Don't  be  deceived  by  a  ball,  coming  over  the  net,  or 
striking  inside  the  court  when  you  do  not  expect  it. 
Take  it  for  granted  that  every  ball  must  be  returned. 

Never  drop  a  ball  short.  It  is  a  very  tempting  stroke, 
and  at  times  very  effective,  but  one  loses  a  great  many 
strokes  in  trying  it.  In  almost  every  case  the  ball  could 
be  killed  as  well  by  a  hard  stroke,  and  the  danger  of 
putting  it  into  the  net  would  be  much  less.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  hit  a  ball  so  slowly  that  it  will  just  go  over 
the  net,  and  if  it  goes  a  little  too  far  one's  opponent 
comes  forward  to  meet  it,  and  can,  as  a  rule,  place  it 
wherever  he  pleases.  I  play  the  stroke  at  times,  myself, 
and  each  time  vow  that  I  will  never  try  it  again. 

A  necessary  part  of  a  good  player  is  decision,  and  the 
power  of  making  up  his  mind  quickly.  Nowhere  is  this 
so  necessary  as  in  following  up  the  service.  If  you 
mean  to  go  up,  don't  hesitate  for  an  instant,  take  the 
chances  and  go,  and  don't  stop  half-way.  Don't  go  up  a 
little  way  and  then  wait  to  see  what  will  happen  ;  you 
will  not  be  far  enough  forward  to  volley,  nor  far  enough 
back  to  play  off  the  ground.  It  puts  you  in  a  part  of 


44  Lazvn-Tennis. 


the  court  where  you  should  never  be,  namely,  somewhere 
between  the  base-line  and  the  service-line.  The  exact 
position  of  this  forbidden  place  depends  on  the  speed 
of  the  ground.  It  is  at  such  a  distance  from  the  net 
that  the  ball  comes  to  you  just  above  the  ground,  so 
that  you  are  forced  to  make  a  difficult  volley  or  a  half- 
volley.  You  are  not  in  position  for  volleying  and  would 
be  better  off  farther  back. 

It  is  very  hard  to  say  exactly  where  one  should  stand  to 
volley.  The  typical  place  seems  to  me  to  be  a  yard  or 
so  in  front  of  the  service-line,  and,  if  anything,  nearer 
still.  The  closer  the  player  is  to  the  net,  the  less  ground 
he  has  to  cover.  Imagine  a  player  standing  on  the  base- 
line, and  imagine  a  line  drawn  from  him  to  each  end  of 
the  opposite  service-line.  These  two  lines  represent  the 
two  most  widely-divergent  strokes  that  he  can  make. 
If  now  you  stand  on  the  service-line  you  have  to  cover 
27  ft. ;  on  the  base-line  35  ft.  ;  half-way  from  the  ser- 
vice-line to  the  net,  22  ft.  ;  and  at  the  net  only  17  ft. 
In  reality,  the  amount  of  space  you  will  have  to  cover 
is  less,  as  you  cannot  make  a  fast  stroke  without  its  going 
beyond  the  service-line.  Thus  the  nearer  a  player  is 
to  the  net  the  less  space  he  leaves  his  opponent  to  place 
the  ball  in,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  quicker  he  himself 
must  be  to  judge  and  reach  the  ball.  It  is  a  great  gain 
if  you  can  volley  the  ball  while  it  is  still  above  the  level 
of  the  net,  as  it  can  then  be  volleyed  downward.  If  you 
allow  the  ball  to  drop  much,  you  have  got  to  volley  up- 
wards to  get  it  over  the  net,  and  there  can  be  little 
severity  in  your  stroke,  which  moreover  itself  is  a 
more  difficult  one  to  make.  Again,  the  sooner  you 
meet  the  ball,  the  less  time  you  give  your  opponent  to 


The  Game.  45 


recover  from  his  last  stroke  and  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  return.  For  myself,  I  am  always  ready  to  take  a 
good  deal  of  risk  in  order  to  stand  near  enough  to  make 
a  severe  volley.  If  one's  opponent  lobs  much  it  is 
unsafe  to  go  in  close,  as  one  may  have  to  run  back  for 
the  ball. 

In  a  word,  it  seems  to  me  that  each  player  must  judge 
for  himself  in  what  place  he  can  return  his  adversary's 
strokes  to  the  greatest  advantage,  and  this  place  will  not 
be  the  same  against  different  players.  You  can  usually 
tell  if  your  opponent  means  to  lob,  and  I  believe  that  it  is 
right  to  go  in  closer  whenever  one  is  sure  that  he  will 
not  lob,  and  then  fall  back  again  to  be  ready  for  any 
stroke  next  time. 

There  is  one  more  point  to  which  I  want  to  call 
attention.  Suppose  that  you  have  made  a  weak  volley 
into  the  middle  of  the  court  and  are  at  the  time  well 
forward.  Your  opponent  can  probably  put  the  ball 
about  where  he  pleases.  What  should  you  do?  Get 
back  by  all  means  if  you  can,  for  that  is  better  than 
staying  up  with  the  chances  against  you.  If  you  can't 
do  that,  stay  and  fight  it  out,  but  remember  that  there 
is  no  use  in  standing  still  in  the  middle.  Your  opponent 
can  put  it  either  side  of  you.  Wait  till  he  has  made  up 
his  mind,  and  then  go  to  one  side  or  the  other.  Even  if 
you  have  no  idea  to  which  side  you  ought  to  go,  it  is 
still  an  even  chance  that  you  will  choose  the  right  one. 
In  such  a  case  it  is  the  only  chance  that  you  have,  and 
jf  your  opponent  sees  you  going  the  right  way  he  may 
miss  his  stroke  in  trying  to  change  its  direction. 


CHAPTER   II. 

MATCH    PLAY. 

MATCH  play  is  always  a  very  different  matter  from 
simple  practice.  The  excitement  and  anxiety  affect 
nearly  all  players  ;  some  more,  some  less.  The  majority, 
I  fancy,  play  worse  in  a  match,  while  a  few  players 
need  the  interest  of  a  match  to  make  them  play  their 
best. 

Then  the  question  of  endurance  comes  in,  which  in 
practice  is  of  very  little  importance,  as  you  can  stop 
playing  when  you  feel  tired.  A  match,  moreover,  is  in 
itself  more  exhausting,  as  you  can  seldom  afford  to 
drop  your  game  to  rest  yourself,  and  the  anxiety  tells 
greatly  on  your  wind.  A  player  who  often  plays  six 
or  seven  hard  sets  in  practice  may  feel  utterly  out  of 
breath  in  the  first  set  of  a  match,  mainly  from  excite- 
ment. The  more  he  plays  the  less  he  will  notice 
the  difference  between  practice  and  matches. 

A  great  difference,  too,  lies  in  the  fact  that  a  player, 
being  anxious,  is  afraid  to  play  his  game,  and  tries  only 
to  get  the  ball  back.  This  is  a  very  great  mistake,  but 
it  is  much  easier  to  tell  him  to  play  as  he  usually  does 
than  for  him  to  do  it.  Almost  the  first  advice  that 


Match  Play.  47 


I  should  give  to  any  one  who  was  going  into  his  first 
match,  "  Try  to  play  just  as  you  would  in  practice." 
If  he  cannot  win  by  playing  his  usual  game,  he  will,  as 
a  rule,  play  worse  instead  of  better  by  changing  it.  It 
may  prove,  of  course,  that  you  cannot  win  with  your 
usual  style  of  play.  In  such  a  case,  try  something  else 
by  all  means,  but  don't  do  so  until  your  own  game  has 
been  fairly  tried. 

If  you  are  winning,  be  still  more  careful  to  hold  to 
the  same  game.  One  often  sees  a  player  at  forty-love 
serve  fast  twice  or  try  a  slashing  stroke  or  two.  It  was 
not  by  such  play  that  he  reached  forty- love.  If  he 
keeps  to  his  game  he  ought  to  win  one  stroke  in  the 
next  three,  but  who  knows  what  may  happen  if  he  tries 
experiments  ? 

The  same  thing  is  done  at  four  games-love,  at  five 
games  to  one  or  two,  or  at  any  such  score,  and  the 
player  who  is  ahead  is  often  justly  rewarded  by  losing 
the  set. 

Another  player  will  be  tempted  in  the  opposite  way. 
He  gets  a  good  lead,  and,  to  make  sure  of  the  set,  begins 
to  play  a  very  cautious  game.  The  moment  he  does  so 
he  is  playing  a  weaker  game.  His  real  game  gave  him 
his  lead,  but  that  does  not  show  that  he  can  hold  his 
advantage  unless  he  plays  as  well  as  he  has  been 
playing. 

I  saw  one  of  ..he  great  matches  last  year  lost  in  just 
this  way — by  a  desire  to  make  too  sure.  In  conclusion 
I  can  only  say  that  each  one  should  play  the  game  that  he 
can  play  best,  and  let  him  have  the  courage  to  stick  to 
it,  whether  he  is  ahead  or  behind. 

My  object  in  speaking  of  match  play  is  less  to  sug- 


48  Lawn-  Tennis. 


gest  any  special  game  than  to  point  out  certain  advan- 
tages that  are  constantly  thrown  away. 

First,  as  to  the  toss.  A  coin  is  better  than  a  racket. 
More  rackets,  I  feel  sure,  come  up  rough  than  smooth. 
If  you  win  the  toss,  go  into  both  sides  of  the  court,  and 
observe  carefully  how  the  light  comes,  the  wind,  the 
background,  the  ground  itself,  and  the  amount  of  room 
round  it.  Do  not  forget  that  the  sun  will  move  a  good 
way  during  five  sets,  and  it  may  be  possible  to  get  the 
best  side  twice  in  succession. 

When  playing  the  best  of  five  sets,  take  the  best 
court,  unless  there  is  some  special  reason  against  it.  If 
the  worst  court  will  be  much  worse  than  it  is  in  half-an- 
hour,  it  pays  to  take  it  first.  One  may  win  the  first  set 
in  it  before  it  gets  too  bad,  and  should  then  have  a 
certainty  of  the  second  and  fourth  sets.  If  the  first  set 
should -be  lost,  the  second  and  fourth  sets  should  bring 
the  score  level,  and  no  harm  would  have  been  done. 

If  a  player  takes  the  best  court  first  he  is  sure  of 
having  it  twice  in  a  match,  and  he  stands  more  chance 
of  winning  three  sets  to  love.  If  the  court  decides  the 
set,  he  will  have  the  lead  all  through  till  the  fifth  set, 
and  even  then  will  have  it  for  the  first  game. 

In  matches  that  are  the  best  of  three  sets  you  have 
to  take  each  court  once,  and,  if  there  is  a  difference  in 
the  light,  I  believe  that  it  pays  to  take  the  worse  court 
first.  You  do  not  feel  the  light  nearly  as  much  then 
as  you  do  after  changing  from  the  better  side,  and  your 
opponent  does  not  appreciate  the  advantage  that  he 
has.  If  the  light  is  so  bad  that  you  lose  the  first  set, 
you  ought  to  be  as  sure  as  ever  of  winning  the  second. 
The  only  exception  is  in  playing  against  a  young  or 


Match  Play.  49 


iainthearted  player,  who  will  be  so  much  encouraged  by 
winning  the  first  set  that  he  will  be  harder  to  beat  the 
second.  It  is  a  safe  choice  against  any  old  match- 
player,  as  he  will  understand  the  case  perfectly. 

With  a  wind  blowing  up  and  down  the  court,  it  pays 
best  to  play  the  first  set  with  the  wind.  One  gets  into 
one's  stroke  better  in  this  way,  and,  on  changing  sides,  it 
is  easier  to  hit  harder  than  to  keep  a  constant  check  on 
one's  self  to  avoid  hitting  out  of  court. 

In  knocking  up  before  a  match,  always  take  the  court 
with  the  sun  in  your  eyes,  so  that,  if  you  lose  the  toss, 
you  will  be  accustomed  to  the  sun,  and  will  not  have  to 
change  from  good  light  to  bad.  If  you  win  the  toss, 
you  will  feel  the  advantage  of  the  light  all  the  more. 

It  is  now  very  common  to  change  sides  every  game 
of  the  whole  match.  Should  you  wish  to  do  so,  do  not 
forget  to  appeal  before  tossing,  or  else  it  can  be  done 
in  the  odd  set  only. 

If  you  fancy  yourself  to  be  a  stronger  player  than 
your  opponent,  it  is  better  to  change  sides  every  game 
of  the  match,  or  else  he  may  win  two  sets  with  the  help 
of  the  better  side,  and  then  everything  will  depend  on 
the  odd  set. 

If  you  change  sides  every  game,  and  are  really  better 
than  he,  you  should  be  able  to  win  every  set,  or,  at  least, 
three  sets  out  of  four. 

If  your  opponent  is  better  than  yourself,  on  no 
account  change  sides  if  you  can  help  it.  Try  to  win 
two  sets  in  the  good  court,  and  trust  to  luck  for  the  odd 
one.  There  is  always  far  more  chance  that  the  worse 
player  will  win  any  particular  set  than  that  he  will  win 
two  in  three  or  three  in  five  if  the  conditions  are  equal. 

E 


Lawn-  Tennis. 


In  one  word,  if  you  are  the  better  player,  do  all  that 
you  can  to  exclude  luck  from  the  game,  because,  if  there 
is  no  luck  for  either  side,  you  will  probably  win.  If 
luck  is  to  come  in,  no  one  can  say  who  will  get  the  best 
of  it. 

The  next  point  to  consider  is  the  service.  With 
duffers  the  service  is  an  advantage,  because  the  striker- 
out  misses  so  many  balls,  or,  at  least,  returns  them 
weakly.  With  good  players,  I  believe  the  service  to  be 
a  decided  disadvantage.  On  a  good  ground  almcst 
every  service  can  be  returned.  The  first  service,  if  fast, 
seldom  comes  off ;  if  of  moderate  speed,  it  can  be  re- 
turned with  ease.  A  second  service  should  leave  the 
striker-out  free  to  do  what  he  chooses  with  it. 

I  should,  therefore,  always  give  my  opponent  the 
service  if  I  could,  unless  sides  were  to  be  changed  every 
game.  In  this  case  the  service  will  always  come  from 
one  end,  and  if  you  lose  the  toss  you  can  choose  from 
which  end. 

Against  the  sun  and  wind  most  services  will  be  weak  ; 
therefore,  if  you  serve  better  than  your  opponent,  put 
the  service  with  the  sun  and  wind.  If  he  serves 
better  than  you,  you  can  diminish  his  advantage  by 
putting  the  server  in  the  worst  court. 

If  you  can  serve  the  reverse  overhand  service,  always 
put  the  server  against  the  wind  and  sun.  This  service 
will  twist  more  against  the  wind  or  going  up  hill,  and 
the  ordinary  service  will  suffer.  Moreover,  in  serving  it, 
one  looks  to  the  left,  and  can  often  keep  the  sun  out  of 
one's  eyes  when  one's  opponent  will  have  to  face  it. 

Should  there  be  a  slope  in  the  court,  a  fast  service 
down  hill  will  be  unusually  severe.  If  you  are  playing 


Match  Play.  51 


a  weaker  man,  put  the  service  up  hill ;  if  a  stronger 
serve  down  hill. 

The  present  rule  of  changing  sides  at  the  end  of  every 
game  works  rather  absurdly  in  one  way,  as  it  is  a  dis- 
advantage to  win  the  toss.  It  is  seldom  that  a  player 
has  not  a  decided  preference  for  serving  from  one  end 
rather  than  from  the  other,  and  his  opponent  will  pro- 
bably prefer  the  opposite.  It  is  a  small  advantage  to 
have  the  better  court  for  the  first  game,  compared  with 
the  arrangement  of  the  service.  If  the  winner  of  the  toss 
chooses  the  court,  his  opponent  can  make  him  serve  or 
serve  himself,  as  he  prefers  to  have  the  service  come 
from  one  end  or  the  other.  If  the  winner  chooses  to 
serve  he  can  be  put  in  either  court  that  his  opponent 
sees  fit.  If  you  are  unlucky  enough  to  win  the  toss,  take 
the  service,  if  you  want  the  service  to  come  from  the 
worst  court,  and  your  opponent  may  prefer  to  let  it  be 
so  rather  than  to  give  you  the  best  court.  If  you  want 
the  service  to  come  from  the  best  court,  make  him  serve 
so  that  he  shall  have  to  choose  the  worst  side  to  prevent 
it. 

A  good  instance  of  the  value  of  the  toss  happened  to 
me  last  season.  In  a  double  match  I  lost  the  toss  ;  my 
opponents,  after  consulting,  came  to  me,  and  offered  me 
the  choice  on  the  ground  that  it  made  no  difference  to 
them.  I  naturally  answered  that  they  had  won  the  toss, 
and  could  choose  what  they  liked,  but  that  they  must 
choose  something. 

,  The  whole  matter  is  complicated  by  the  question  of 
endurance.  A  five-set  match  will  last  two  hours,  and  if 
the  players  are  evenly  matched,  condition  will  make  a 
great  difference.  What,  then,  is  the  best  thing  for  the 


5  2  Lawn  -  Ten  n  is. 


player  who  is  physically  the  weaker  to  do  to  diminish 
his  opponent's  advantage  ? 

If  there  is  some  difference  between  the  sides,  but  it  is 
still  quite  possible  to  win  on  either,  I  should  advise  the 
weaker  player  to  change  sides  every  game,  else  he  may 
exhaust  himself  in  trying  to  win  on  the  worse  side. 
Besides,  he  is  more  likely  to  win  three  sets-love.  Instead 
of  this,  when  the  difference  is  distinct,  but  not  very 
great,  he  may  take  the  worst  court  and  try  to  win  the 
first  set  in  it  while  he  is  still  fresh,  and  then  play  for  the 
second  and  fourth  sets  on  the  good  side.  If  he  is  rather 
a  better  player  than  his  opponent,  he  will  stand  a  good 
chance  to  win  the  first  set,  and  he  should  then  have  a 
great  advantage,  if  he  only  takes  care  of  himself.  If  he 
is  rather  the  worse  player  as  well  as  the  weaker,  he  had 
better  play  for  two  sets  on  the  better  side  and  for  the 
fifth,  for  he  probably  cannot  win  on  the  worst  side,  and 
will  injure  his  chance  for  the  last  set  if  he  tries  to. 

If  the  difference  between  the  sides  is  very  great  and 
the  players  about  equal,  I  thinK  that  the  weaker  man 
should  not  change  sides  every  game  if  he  can  help  it. 
Here,  too,  his  best  chance  is  to  win  two  sets  easily  and 
hope  for  the  fifth.  If  he  changes  sides,  the  games  may 
be  won  alternately  by  the  help  of  the  court,  and  the  sets 
may  be  very  long. 

Of  course,  the  interest  of  the  more  enduring  player  is 
exactly  the  opposite.  He  should  prolong  the  match  as 
much  as  possible,  and  when  on  the  worse  side  should 
play  up  all  that  he  can,  so  as  to  tire  his  adversary,  even 
if  he  cannot  win. 

A  great  deal  of  judgment  is  requisite  to  decide  when 
to  let  a  set  go.  One's  adversary  is  seldom  as  easy 


Match  Play.  53 


to  beat  after  he  has  won  a  set  as  he  was  before,  and  I 
think  that  " chucking"  a  set  is  a  luxury  that  should  be 
indulged  in  very  seldom,  and  only  when  playing  up 
would  spoil  one's  chance  in  the  other  sets. 

A  player  should  never  play  slackly  because  he  fancies 
the  set  won.  Every  game  that  he  loses  encourages  his 
opponent,  and  also  makes  it  harder  for  himself  to  get 
back  to  his  old  game.  There  is  no  score  at  which  a  set 
is  safe  till  it  is  won. 

On  the  other  hand,  never  give  up  a  match  till  it  is  lost. 
I  have  seen  the  score  two  sets  to  love  and  five  games 
to  two,  and  the  player  who  was  ahead  lost  the  match. 
It  is  always  worth  while  to  try  for  one  more  game.  Try 
to  learn  to  play  up  the  whole  time,  unless  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  ease  off  to  save  your  wind. 

I  wish  to  call  particular  attention  to  the  fact  that  it 
is  a  great  mistake  to  attempt  to  return  the  service  till 
you  are  sure  that  you  are  ready.  Your  opponent  will 
often  serve  as  soon  as  your  face  is  turned  towards  him, 
and  there  is  a  strong  temptation  to  return  the  ball.  In 
such  a  case  you  are  not  really  ready.  You  should  take 
time  enough  to  get  to  your  place,  and  get  your  feet 
under  you  and  your  eyes  fixed  on  your  opponent.  If 
he  serves  too  soon,  let  the  ball  go  by  untouched,  and  do 
the  same  thing  on  the  second  service,  and  on  every  other 
service  for  which  you  are  not  perfectly  ready. 

When  you  go  in  to  volley,  and  you  see  the  ball 
coming  to  you,  make  up  your  mind  in  time  where  you 
mean  to  put  it.  I  have  often  lost  a  stroke  by  being  too 
slow  in  deciding,  and  having  to  think  where  the  ball 
should  go  at  the  time  that  I  ought  to  have  been 
playing  it. 


54  Lawn-Tennis. 


Often  when  a  player  is  about  to  volley  a  ball  to  kill  it, 
he  sees  his  opponent  going  to  the  spot  where  he  intends 
to  put  the  ball.  Ought  he  to  change  his  mind  and  put 
it  elsewhere  ?  I  think  certainly  not.  It  is  better  to  trust 
to  the  original  stroke ;  if  he  changes  he  will  probably 
make  a  weak  stroke  or  miss  altogether.  This  does  not 
apply  to  cases  where  he  sees  his  opponent  going  to  one 
side  or  the  other  before  he  has  made  up  his  mind.  He 
should  then,  of  course,  play  to  the  unprotected  side. 

Watch  your  opponent  playing  beforehand  if  you  can. 
Few  players  have  no  weak  points,  and  it  may  be  of  great 
service  to  you  to  know  his. 

Be  careful  to  get  thoroughly  warm  before  you  go  into 
court.  Without  this  precaution,  one  is  very  apt  to  lose  the 
first  game  or  two,  which  perhaps  one  can  ill  spare.  Every 
man  must  judge  for  himself  how  much  warming-up  he 
needs,  for  he  must  not  carry  it  to  the  extent  of  tiring 
himself  at  all  before  a  long  match. 

Do  not  neglect  to  find  out  who  is  to  umpire  for  you, 
and  if  you  think  him  incompetent,  object  to  him  before  the 
match.  It  is  sufficient  if  his  manner  is  annoying  to  you, 
as  you  need  all  your  attention  for  the  game. 

You  will  be  constantly  umpired  out  of  games,  and 
even  matches,  and  the  annoyance  is  much  less  if  you 
feel  that  you  have  done  all  that  was  in  your  power  by 
having  good  men  to  umpire. 

Learn  in  a  match  to  say  nothing  about  the  decisions, 
and  to  think  of  them  as  little  as  possible,  else  one  bad 
decision  may  lose  you  many  strokes. 

Be  careful  about  the  minor  details  of  the  game.  See 
that  your  racket  does  not  want  a  new  string  and  that 
there  is  no  nail  at  the  end  of  the  handle  that  may  hurt 


Match  Play.  55 


your  hand.  Have  a  second  racket  ready  in  case  of 
accidents,  and  have  it  as  like  the  first  as  possible. 

Look  to  your  shoes,  and  see  that  there  are  enough 
points  in  them,  and  that  they  are  not  clogged  up  with 
dirt. 

If  you  want  something  to  drink  in  a  match,  brandy 
with  a  little  water  i:i  it  is  the  best  thing  ;  soda  is  too 
bulky.  A  slice  of  lemon  is  very  pleasant  in  hot  weather. 

If  the  handle  of  your  racket  slips  a  little,  lemon-juice 
rubbed  on  it  makes  it  easier  to  hold.  With  an  octagonal 
handle,  I  believe  that  any  slipping  of  the  racket  arises 
from  some  fault  in  the  way  in  which  it  is  held. 

As  to  eating  and  drinking,  I  believe  in  living  just  as 
one  is  in  the  habit  of  doing,  using  stimulants  and 
luxuries  in  moderation. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  matter  is  sleep.  Going 
to  bed  at  two  and  sleeping  till  ten  is  by  no  means  the 
same  thing  as  getting  eight  hours  sleep  earlier  in  the 
night.  It  has  come  to  be  a  well-recognised  fact  that 
one  cannot  go  to  a  ball  and  play  matches  the  next  day. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   DOUBLE   GAME. 

I  DO  not  intend  to  discuss  different  ways  of  playing  the 
double  game,  such  as  one  man  at  the  net  and  the  other 
back,  &c.,  because  at  the  present  time  there  is  only  one 
style  of  game  among  good  players. 

Roth  men  should  stand  a  yard  or  two  yards  in  front 
of  the  service-line,  and  each  near  enough  to  his  own  side- 
line to  prevent  his  being  passed  on  that  side.  I  do 
not  mean  that  each  player  should  have  a  spot  in  the 
court  where  he  should  stand,  for  then  it  would  be  easy 
to  put  the  ball  between  the  two  players  or  outside  of 
either  of  them. 

When  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  service,  the  player 
on  that  side  should  keep  well  out  to  defend  his  own 
side-line,  and  his  partner  (the  server)  should  come  up 
near  enough  to  the  middle-line  to  prevent  the  ball  from 
passing  between  them.  This  principle  applies  more  or 
less  to  all  cases  where  the  return  is  to  come  from  a  spot 
near  a  side-line.  When  the  ball  is  in  the  middle  of  the 
court,  each  player  of  the  other  side  should  stand  about 
the  middle  of  his  own  court,  and,  as  in  the  single  game, 
should  fall  back  a  little  if  he  expects  a  lob,  and  corny 
forward  a  little  to  meet  a  low  ball. 


The  Double  Game.  57 


One  great  difference  between  the  single  and  double 
games  is  that  in  the  double  the  court  is  more  fully 
covered,  as  there  are  only  eighteen  feet  for  each  player 
to  defend,  instead  of  twenty-seven.  The  result  is  that 
it  is  much  more  difficult  to  place  a  ball  where  it  cannot 
be  reached,  and  one  has  to  hit  harder  to  kill  than 
in  the  single  game. 

It  is  hard  to  say  just  where  the  server  should  stand  to 
serve,  but  it  should  not  be  so  near  the  middle  as  in  the 
single  game,  because  he  has  more  space  to  cover  on  one 
side  and  none  on  the  other.  Perhaps  the  best  place  is 
about  the  middle  of  his  own  half  of  the  base-line,  but  it 
is  n  her  a  matter  of  taste. 

His  partner  should  stand  on  the  other  side  of  the 
court  just  in  front  of  the  service-line,  and  near  enough 
to  the  side-line  to  make  it  impossible  for  the  ball  to  pass 
him  on  that  side.  There  is  hardly  anything  that  dis- 
courages a  player  so  much  as  to  see  his  partner  leave 
his  side-line  unprotected. 

The  server  should  follow  up  his  service  at  once,  so  as 
to  volley  the  return.  If  he  serves  a  fault,  let  him 
serve  again  very  slowly  and  up  in  the  air,  so  as  to 
give  himself  time  to  get  to  the  service-line  and  into 
position  before  the  return  can  reach  him.  If  he  serves 
a  ball  of  medium  pace  he  will  probably  have  to  volley 
while  on  the  run,  and  the  return  may  strike  the  ground 
in  front  of  him  so  that  he  will  have  to  half-volley. 

The  striker-out  takes  the  service  in  about  the  same 

.position   as   in   the  single  game.       His   partner  should 

stand    a   little   behind    the   service-line,    and    near  the 

middle  of  his  court,  so  as  to  have  a  chance  of  saving 

the  ball  should  the  striker-out  make  a  weak  return  of 


5  8  Laivn-  Tenn  is. 


the  service.  If  the  service  is  well  returned,  he  should 
run  forward  into  his  place,  which  is  about  a  yard  in  front 
of  the  service-line,  and  near  enough  to  his  own  side-line 
to  protect  it.  If  the  first  service  is  a  fault,  he  should  go 
forward  at  once,  as  his  partner  should  have  no  trouble 
in  dealing  with  the  second  service,  and  he  himself  needs 
to  be  in  his  own  place  for  the  opponent's  first  return. 

Where  should  the  return  of  the  service  be  placed  ?  A 
fast  service  should  always  be  placed  across  court,  because 
the  server's  partner  is  standing  in  front  of  the  striker-out, 
and  has  a  much  better  chance  to  make  a  severe  volley 
than  the  server  who  is  running  up.  A  second  service 
can  be  played  in  several  ways.  The  server  has  no  doubt 
followed  up  his  service,  and  if  he  has  served  slowly 
enough  he  will  be  up  to  the  service-line,  and  both  sides 
of  the  court  will  be  covered.  Still,  one  can  often  put 
the  ball  between  the  two  players  so  that  neither  can  get 
it  easily,  and  I  fancy  this  stroke  most  for  a  return  of  the 
second  service.  You  sometimes,  of  course,  get  a  chance 
to  play  down  the  side-line,  because  your  opponent  on  that 
side  has  come  in  too  far  toward  the  middle  of  the  court. 

If  there  seems  to  be  no  opening,  one  may  be  able  to 
make  a  slow  stroke  that  will  drop  enough  to  force  a  half- 
volley.  If  such  a  stroke  is  too  difficult,  the  best  thing 
to  do  is  to  hit  directly  at  one  of  the  opponents,  for  a 
ball  that  comes  directly  at  one's  body  is  seldom  as  easy 
to  volley  as  a  ball  a  little  to  one  side. 

You  can  also  try  playing  to  the  side  of  the  court  so  as 
to  force  one  of  your  opponents  out  to  the  side-line,  and 
thus  make  a  gap  between  him  and  his  partner. 

A  very  pretty  stroke  off  the  second  service  is  to  pla;* 
the  ball  very  slowly  directly  across  the  court  aim'  ^ 


The  Double  Game.  59 


parallel  with  the  net.  The  ball  should  strike  just  inside 
the  side-line.  This  can  be  done  only  when  the  service 
bounds  high  and  not  far  back  in  the  court.  It  is  an 
essential  part  of  the  stroke  that  it  should  be  made 
slowly,  or  the  ball  must  go  out  of  court.  The  server 
has  not  time  to  get  forward  before  the  ball  touches 
the  ground,  and  if  he  returns  it  at  all  it  will  usually 
be  by  a  half-volley. 

When  all  four  players  are  in  position  for  volleying, 
one  is  often  puzzled  where  to  put  the  ball,  as  there  seems 
to  be  no  place  left  vacant  for  it.  The  same  principles 
apply  here  as  in  the  return  of  the  second  service,  except 
that  the  server  has  had  time  to  place  himself.  You  must 
work  for  an  opening  by  driving  one  of  your  opponents 
out  of  place,  or  you  must  try  to  make  one  of  them  half- 
volley,  which  may  give  a  chance  for  a  smash,  or  must 
simply  keep  on  returning  the  balls  and  trust  that  a 
mistake  will  give  you  the  opportunity  to  kill  which  he 
cannot  make  for  yourself. 

Against  weaker  players  one  can  well  afford  to  take  no 
risks  and  wait  for  a  chance,  but  against  better  players 
this  will  not  prove  a  winning  game,  and  it  will  pay  to 
try  to  make  an  opening  better  than  to  wait  for  one. 

A  player  should  try  to  keep  far  enough  forward  to 
volley  before  the  ball  can  drop,  for  if  he  is  forced  to 
half-volley  he  is  almost  sure  to  give  his  opponent  a 
chance  to  kill. 

One  can  smash  more  safely  in  the  double  game,  be- 
cause the  court  is  larger.  It  is  also  necessary  to  volley 
harder  to  kill  than  in  the  single  game,  as  the  court  is 
more  fully  covered. 

Should  you  make  a  weak  stroke  from  the  back  of  the 


60  Lawn- Tennis. 


court,  as,  for  instance,  a  short  lob,  both  you  and  your 
partner  should  fall  back  to  or  behind  the  base-line  and 
try  to  save  the  ball. 

The  great  difficulty  of  the  double  game  is  to  divide 
the  play  properly  between  the  two  partners.  The  ques- 
tion is  not  of  letting  each  one  play  the  same  number  of 
balls,  but  simply  of  allowing  each  to  take  those  which 
he  can  play  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

With  both  men  in  position  for  volleying,  each  player 
of  course  takes  the  balls  on  his  own  side  ;  the  trouble  is 
simply  about  those  between  them.  The  simplest  rule 
and  the  best  is  to  let  the.  partner  who  played  the  last 
ball  play  the  next.  He  knows  best  where  the  return 
will  probably  come,  and  his  eye  is  in  for  it.  I  fully 
believe  in  the  teaching  of  the  Champion,  that  a  player 
should  be  allowed  to  finish  a  rest  if  he  can.  That  does 
not  mean  that  he  is  to  rush  all  over  the  court,  but  that 
he  is  to  take  all  the  doubtful  balls.  A  player  feels  the 
wisdom  of  this  rule  when  he  has  been  watching  his 
partner  play  several  strokes  in  succession,  and  is  sud- 
denly called  on  to  take  a  fast  volley  himself.  He  does 
not  know  where  nor  when  it  is  coming  nearly  as  well  as 
if  he  had  played  the  ball  before  it. 

This  shows  us  another  principle  of  double  play. 
Keep  hammering  at  one  man,  if  he  is  at  a  disadvantage, 
as  thus  you  can  probably  gain  something  with  each 
stroke.  If,  however,  he  is  on  equal  terms  with  you, 
after  he  has  played  several  strokes  hit  hard  at  his 
partner,  who  is  often  unprepared. 

It  is  well  to  have  some  understanding  between  the 
two  partners  as  to  which  shall  take  doubtful  balls, 
where  the  principle  before  explained  does  not  apply. 


The  Double  Game.  6 1 

If  one  player  is  better  than   his  partner  it  is  right  to 
allow  him  to  play  all  such  balls. 

If  the  sun  is  across  the  court,  one  player  can  see  such 
balls  much  more  clearly  than  the  other,  and  this  should 
be  recognised  and  arranged  for  beforehand. 

The  two  players  are  seldom  at  the  same  distance 
from  the  net,  and  if  there  is  a  chance  to  smash  a  ball 
the  more  forward  player  should  take  it,  if  the  ball  comes 
near  him.  With  high  balls,  the  player  to  whom  they 
come  forehanded  is  usually  the  one  who  should  take 
them,  and  that,  of  course,  is  the  one  on  the  left  side. 

On  the  other  hand,  with  low  diagonal  strokes,  it  is 
best  to  let  the  player  towards  whom  the  ball  is  crossing 
the  court,  play  it.  It  is  usually  within  the  other  player's 
reach,  but  he  will  probably  find  it  a  difficult  stroke,  and 
will  gain  nothing  by  taking  it  himself.  For  instance,  if 
the  service  is  returned  from  the  right  court  into  the 
right  court  on  the  other  side,  the  left-hand  player  can 
usually  reach  and  return  it,  but  he  will  do  better  to  leave 
it  for  his  partner  who  is  coming  forward  to  meet  it. 
Cases  of  this  kind  occur  constantly  and  lead  to  a  great 
deal  of  trouble. 

This  brings  me  to  the  practice  called  "  Poaching,' 
i.e.,  taking  balls  that  should  be  played  by  one's  partner. 

You  may  often  see  a  ball  which  you  feel  sure  that  you 
can  play  better  than  your  partner,  although  it  is  not  on 
your  own  side  of  the  court.  My  advice  would  always  be — 
"  Don't  touch  such  a  ball  ! "  To  reach  it  you  must  go 
across  the  court,  and  your  own  side  is  left  unprotected, 
so  that  if  you  fail  to  kill  the  ball  you  probably  lose  the 
rest.  Moreover,  if  your  partner  is  as  good  a  player  as 
yourself,  he  ought  to  be  left  to  play  the  ball ;  if  he  is 


62  Lawn-  Tennis. 


not  good,  it  is  a  mistake  to  let  him  see  that  you  do  not 
trust  him.  It  will  cost  you  more  strokes  than  you  will 
gain  by  taking  his  balls. 

The  only  time  that  it  seems  right  to  me  to  cross  is 
when  there  has  been  a  very  weak  return  made,  and  you 
feel  sure  that  you  can  kill  the  ball,  and  at  the  same  time 
feel  sure  that  your  partner  is  too  far  back  to  reach  it  in 
time  to  do  the  same  thing. 

With  this  exception,  never  go  in  front  of  your  partner  ; 
it  destroys  his  confidence,  and  he  never  knows  when  he 
will  be  called  upon  to  play. 

There  are  a  great  many  balls  between  the  two  players 
which  one  of  them  can  certainly  play  better  than  the 
other,  and  yet  the  wrong  one  will  often  take  them.  In 
such  cases  it  is  simply  a  mistake  ;  it  is  not  poaching  in 
the  real  sense  of  the  word.  One  often  takes  such  balls 
instinctively,  and  often,  too,  one  is  a  bit  farther  forward 
than  one's  partner,  and  cannot  tell  if  it  is  safe  to  leave  the 
balls  to  him. 

There  is  certainly  a  lot  of  poaching  done,  and  a 
sufficient  reason  for  avoiding  it  is  that  it  really  does  not 
pay. 

On  the  other  hand  there  is  a  lot  of  nonsense  talked 
about  poaching,  where  it  is  simply  jealousy  between  the 
two  players. 

When  a  player  cannot  forgive  his  partner  for  taking  a 
ball  that  he  should  have  left  to  him,  especially  where  it 
is  simply  a  mistake  of  judgment,  he  is  not  himself  a 
fit  partner  to  play  with. 

Another  great  mistake  is  to  find  fault  with  your 
partner's  play.  It  never  does  any  good,  and  it  either 
makes  him  lose  his  temper  or  discourages  him.  If  he 


TIic  Double  Game.  63 

misses  an  easy  stroke,  remember  that  you  might  have 
done  the  same,  and  if  he  makes  a  good  one  give  him 
the  credit  of  it. 

If  your  partner  is  going  to  play  a  stroke,  keep  away 
a  little  and  give  him  room.  If  he  hears  you  coming  up 
behind  he  may  think  that  you  mean  to  take  the  ball, 
and,  in  any  case,  hearing  you  so  near  may  take  off  his 
attention. 

Be  careful  to  play  up  as  well  as  you  can  all  through  a 
double  match.  You  may  be  able  to  pull  yourself  to- 
gether after  some  slack  play,  but  you  may  have  got 
your  partner  so  discouraged  that  he  cannot  play  at  all, 
so  that  you  will  lose  the  match  and  it  will  be  nobody's 
fault  but  your  own. 

This  applies  also  in  cases  where  your  partner  lacks 
endurance.  Remember  that  he  may  be  of  little  assis- 
tance to  you  at  the  end  of  a  long  match,  and  you  should 
never  by  any  carelessness  of  your  own,  give  your  oppo- 
nents a  chance  to  prolong  the 


CHAPTER   IV. 

LADIES'  AND  GENTLEMEN'S  DOUBLES. 

IT  seems  fitting  to  say  something  of  these  matches  since 
most  tournaments  give  prizes  for  them,  but  it  is  very 
hard  to  give  any  definite  advice  as  to  the  best  method 
of  playing  them.  It  depends  so  much  on  one's  partner, 
and  on  the  strength  of  one's  adversaries. 

It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  lady  is  not  as 
strong  a  player  as  her  partner,  and  the  game  therefore 
consists  in  protecting  your  own  partner  and  attacking 
your  adversary's. 

As  to  the  choice  of  court  and  service,  the  same  prin- 
ciples apply  as  in  doubles,  except  that  the  sendee  is 
worth  taking,  as  one  expects  to  gain  an  advantage  when 
serving  to  the  lady. 

It  is  perhaps  best  to  put  your  partner  in  the  left 
court,  as  the  service  will  not  come  so  hard  to  her  there 
as  in  the  other  court.  Besides,  you  have  more  chance 
of  winning  the  first  stroke  if  you  play  it  yourself,  and  it 
is  encouraging  to  have  the  lead. 

The  way  in  which  the  game  is  usually  played  is  for  the 
lady  to  stand  on  the  base-line  and  nearly  at  one  end  of  it, 
so  that  she  can  easily  reach  any  balls  on  that  side  of  the 


Ladies   and  Gentlemen's  Doubles.  65 

court.  The  man  looks  after  the  rest  of  the  court,  and 
does  any  volleying  that  is  to  be  done.  The  lady's  part 
of  the  work  is  simple  enough  in  theory  ;  she  takes  all 
the  strokes  in  her  part  of  the  court,  and  also  saves,  as 
far  as  she  can,  any  balls  which  her  partner  fails  to 
reach. 

What  the  man  should  do  is  harder  to  say.  My  own 
idea  is  about  as  follows  : 

If  the  service  comes  to  the  man,  he  should  return  it 
hard  to  the  lady  opposite,  and  then  follow  up  to  volley 
her  return.  In  coming  forward  he  should  not  take  the 
middle  of  the  court,  but  should  keep  towards  his  own 
side,  so  that  there  shall  be  little  danger  of  her  passing 
him  down  his  own  side-line,  and  also  so  that  his  partner 
may  know  which  side  of  the  court  she  is  to  cover. 

Supposing  that  the  ball  is  returned  to  his  partner,  the 
man  should  not  stay  forward,  or  he  will  leave  her  to  play 
the  whole  game  against  both  the  adversaries,  but  he 
should  go  back  to  her  assistance  till  he  gets  a  chance 
to  come  forward  again. 

She,  in  her  turn,  has  to  get  the  ball  away  from 
the  man  on  the  opposite  side,  who  has  no  doubt  come 
forward  ;  and,  if  she  fails,  she  and  her  partner  must  try 
to  save  the  stroke  as  best  they  can.  If  she  succeeds  in 
passing  the  man  opposite,  there  probably  will  be  a  chance 
for  her  partner  to  go  forward  and  volley. 

If  the  man  is  serving,  he  should  follow  up  a  severe 
service  if  he  possibly  can.  For  the  return  of  a  secon  1 
service  it  is  better  for  him  to  stay  back  at  or  about  the 
middle  of  the  base-line,  for  he  can  play  most  strokes 
better  than  his  partner,  and  if  he  goes  forward  on  a  weak 
service  the  ball  will  probably  come  to  her. 

F 


66  Lawn-  Tennis. 

With  both  players  back  in  the  court,  the  lady  at  the 
corner  and  the  man  at  the  middle  of  the  base-line,  he 
should  leave  her  to  play  all  the  balls  that  come  to  her. 
If  he  takes  his  partner's  balls,  as  many  do,  he  must 
leave  his  side  of  the  court  wholly  unprotected,  and  he  is 
unlikely  to  gain  enough  to  justify  the  risk. 

If  the  ball  comes  to  the  man,  his  natural  return  is  to 
the  corner  where  the  lady  is  standing.  If  her  partner 
has  come  forward  to  volley  there  should  be  little  diffi- 
culty in  passing  him  in  a  double  court,  and  if  he  gets 
out  into  the  middle  it  may  pay  to  try  to  pass  him  on 
the  side  away  from  his  partner. 

It  is  so  easy  to  pass  a  volleyer  in  a  36  ft.  court,  that 
there  is  not  much  use  in  coming  forward  unless  the  last 
stroke  has  been  to  the  lady,  or  has  been  unusually 
severe 

A  man  should  .take  more  risk  in  volleying  than  in 
the  double  game,  because  his  partner  is  unable  to  do 
her  share  of  the  play,  and  he  can  at  times  go  across 
the  court  for  an  easy  ball.  He  should  not,  however,  do 
this  often.  He  leaves  the  space  behind  him  unprotected, 
and  is  apt  to  lessen  his  partner's  confidence. 

In  cases  where  he  does  go  across,  there  should  be  a 
distinct  understanding  as  to  the  place  in  which  his 
partner  should  stay.  She  can  either  stay  where  she  is, 
while  he  goes  back  to  his  own  side  after  the  stroke,  or 
she  can  cross  and  he  stay  on  her  side.  The  latter  would, 
I  believe,  be  the  better  plan  for  partners  who  played 
often  together.  The  lady  has  more  time  to  get  across 
the  court  because  she  can  start  as  soon  as  she  sees  that 
her  partner  means  to  cross  himself.  In  spite  of  this 
advantage,  I  should  prefer  with  most  partners  to  have 


Ladies'  and  Gentlemen's  Doubles.  67 

the  lady  always  keep  her  own  side  and  the  man  go  back 
to  his,  after  crossing  for  a  stroke. 

If  there  is  no  arrangement,  the  man  may  be  afraid  to 
leave  any  ball  after  he  has  once  gone  across,  because  he 
cannot  spare  time  to  see  where  his  partner  is. 

The  amount  of  risk  that  should  be  taken  to  reach  a 
ball  to  volley  varies  with  the  strength  of  the  adversaries 
and  with  the  chance  of  winning  the  match.  If  your 
partner  is  not  as  good  as  the  lady  opposite,  the  match 
must  be  lost  unless  you  can  make  up  for  her  weakness. 
Again,  if  the  man  against  you  is  one  of  the  great 
volleyers,  the  ball  must  be  kept  away  from  him  at  any 
risk.  If  you  let  the  ball  go  back  to  your  partner  he 
will  get  more  chances  than  you  can  afford  to  give  him. 
In  such  a  case  I  feel  sure  that  it  is  right  to  go  across  to 
volley  on  the  least  opportunity. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  your  partner  is  really  good, 
don't  be  afraid  to  trust  her  ;  give  her  plenty  of  room 
and  don't  worry  her.  If  she  is  better  than  the  lady 
opposite,  you  should  play  a  safe  game.  Cover  your 
own  side  and  she  will  win,  unless  the  man  against  you  is 
an  unusually  good  player. 

A  very  good  example  took  place  in  some  scratch 
pairs  last  summer.  A  very  good  player  drew  a  lady 
who  could  not  hit  a  ball  over  the  net.  Against  him  was 
a  good  middle- class  player  who  had  one  of  the  best 
partners  that  he  could  have.  If  the  man  would  have 
stayed  quiet,  this  pair  would  certainly  have  won.  Instead 
of  that,  he  kept  getting  into  the  middle  of  the  court, 
only  to  be  passed  down  his  own  side-line. 


CHAPTER  V. 

UMPIRES   AND    UMPIRING. 

IN  the  chapter  on  match  play,  I  have  already  spoken 
of  umpires.  It  is  a  subject  that  is  always  leading  to 
trouble,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  tremble  is  unnecessary. 

We  all  know  how  hard  it  is  to  umpire,  and  that  an 
umpire  gets  little  thanks  if  he  makes  no  mistakes,  and 
a  great  deal  of  blame  if  he  is  wrong.  You  will  often  be 
asked  to  umpire,  especially  if  you  umpire  well,  and  I 
think  that  you  owe  it  to  your  friends  to  umpire  if  you 
can. 

The  great  secret  is  attention.  Watch  the  ball  the 
whole  time.  Do  not  watch  a  line,  for  if  the  ball  crosses  it 
suddenly  you  will  not  know  on  which  side  of  the  line 
it  struck  the  ground.  If  you  follow  the  ball  only,  you 
will  see  where  it  strikes,  and  can  then  tell  on  which 
side  of  the  line. 

Do  not  call  "play,"  nor  "good,"  nor  anything  else,unless 
the  ball  is  out,  and  then  call  sharply  and  loud  enough 
to  make  it  impossible  for  the  players  not  to  hear.  If 
you  are  appealed  to  in  the  middle  of  a  rest  and  are 
unable  to  decide,  call  "  play  it  out,"  and  at  the  end  of 
the  rest  you  can  give  your  decision  if  one  is  necessary. 

Do  not  call  until  the  ball  has  touched  the  ground,  and 
then  call  as  quickly  as  possible. 


Umpires  and  Umpiring.  69 

Remember  that  an  umpire  is  an  unfortunate  necessity, 
and  his  first  object  should  be  to  make  himself  as  little 
conspicuous  as  possible,  and  to  annoy  the  players  as 
little  as  he  can.  What  the  players  want  is  an  umpire 
who  will  attend  to  the  game  and  will  give  an  honest 
decision  as  quickly  and  distinctly  as  possible.  They 
do  not  want  any  fancy  umpiring  done  at  their  expense. 

About  the  worst  umpire  that  there  can  be  is  one  who 
is  trying  to  show  off  his  umpiring.  I  believe  myself 
that  players  are  as  a  class  the  best  umpires.  They  are 
more  used  to  watching  the  ball,  and  will,  therefore,  see 
it  more  correctly.  Besides,  they  understand  better 
what  the  players  look  for  in  an  umpire. 

It  is  your  duty  to  keep  the  net  at  the  right  height, 
and  you  should  arrange  it  before  play  begins,  and  from 
time  to  time  afterwards,  but  don't  get  down  to  look  at 
it  in  the  middle  of  a  game,  unless  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary. Look  to  see  that  the  inside  posts  are  in  place,  if 
any  are  needed,  and  that  they  are  not  there  for  a  double 
game. 

Enforce  the  rules  strictly.  It  is  not  for  you  to  dis- 
cuss them  during  a  match,  but  simply  to  take  t«hem  as 
they  stand.  The  moment  that  you  relax  them  you 
have  no  guide  left.  Be  careful  to  find  out  beforehand 
how  many  sets  are  to  be  played,  and  if  they  are  vantage 
sets  or  not.  In  case  of  any  question  arising  about  the 
rules,  send  at  once  for  the  referee. 

No  matter  at  what  height  you  stand,  it  is  impossible  to 
see  the  farther  side-line  properly  ;  and  the  same  is  true 
in  a  smaller  degree  of  the  base-Vnes.  It  is  nearly 
impossible  to  call  foot  faults  and  to  watch  the  service- 
line  too.  You,  therefore,  need  at  least  three  line  um- 


70  Lawn-  Tennis. 


pires.  If  you  cannot  get  men  whom  you  can  trust,  it  is 
better  to  umpire  the  base-lines  yourself.  It  is  a  mistake 
to  let  a  man  take  the  side-line  and  one  of  the  base-lines 
too.  He  will  have  to  stand  away  from  both  lines,  and 
in  such  a  place  he  cannot  see  the  base-line  as  well  as 
you  can  yourself,  and  he  cannot  umpire  the  side-line 
really  well. 

If  a  line  umpire  cannot  decide  a  stroke  on  his  own 
line — as  when  a  player  comes  between  him  and  the  ball, 
or  for  any  other  reason — give  your  own  decision,  if  you 
are  sure  that  you  could  see  the  stroke ;  if  not,  direct  it 
to  be  played  again. 

If  the  same  thing  happens  on  one  of  the  lines  that 
you  are  taking  yourself,  you  can  appeal  to  one  of  the 
line  umpires,  if  he  is  in  a  place  where  he  could  see  the 
ball.  On  no  account  appeal  to  the  gallery,  for  you  are 
certain  to  get  both  decisions. 

If  one  of  the  players  in  a  case  of  doubt  tells  you  that 
he  lost  the  stroke,  you  should  take  his  word  for  it,  as  he 
is  almost  certainly  right.  You  have  no  right  to  ask  him, 
and  he  is  under  no  obligation  to  say  anything,  but  if,  of 
his  own  accord,  he  gives  the  stroke,  I  can  see  no  reason 
why  it  should  be  played  again. 

If  the  players  agree,  their  decision  should  certainly 
be  taken. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ODDS. 

ODDS  are  of  two  kinds — "  given  "  and  "  owed."  When 
odds  are  given,  one  player  starts  at  love  and  his  opponent 
at  fifteen,  thirty,  &c.  If  odds  are  owed,  one  player  is 
love  and  the  other  behind  scratch,  so  that  he  must  make 
one  or  more  strokes  before  his  score  reaches  love. 
There  is  one  other  difference  between  the  two  kinds  of 
odds.  With  given  odds,  the  larger  odds  are  taken  in 
the  even-numbered  games,  and,  with  owed  odds,  in  the 
odd-numbered  games.  The  object  is  to  distribute  the 
odds  as  evenly  as  possible  through  the  different  games 
in  cases  where  odds  are  both  owed  and  given. 

For  instance,  suppose  A.  owes  B.  half-fifteen  and 
gives  him  half-fifteen  also.  In  the  first  game  A.  starts 
at  owe  fifteen  and  B.  at  love ;  in  the  second  game  A.  is 
love  and  B.  fifteen.  Were  it  not  for  this  provision  the 
first  games  would  start  at  love-all  and  the  next  at  owe 
fifteen-fifteen. 

Handicaps  are  now  so  general  that  something  may 
well  be  said  of  the  game  to  play  when  giving  or  takin'- 
large  odds.  If  a  player  is  receiving  large  odds,  he  musv 
remember  that  his  opponent  is  probably  a  much  better 


72  Lawn-  Tennis. 


player  than  himself.  If,  then,  he  plays  a  cautious  game 
and  tries  mainly  not  to  make  mistakes,  his  opponent 
will  win  nearly  every  stroke.  The  receiver  of  odds 
ought  to  play  as  bold  a  game  as  possible.  He  should 
hit  hard  and  take  every  chance  of  making  a  stroke  that 
cannot  be  returned.  Let  him  give  the  same  odds  to 
some  weaker  player,  and  he  will  soon  find  how  difficult 
it  is  to  give  them  if  his  opponent  plays  a  fast  game. 
Against  a  player  who  hits  hard  and  takes  the  chances 
one  is  apt  to  make  more  mistakes  than  one  can  afford. 

The  reverse  is  true  if  a  player  is  giving  large  odds. 
He  cannot  afford  to  play  as  free  a  game  as  he  would  if 
playing  level.  If  he  can  make  any  particular  stroke 
that  will  win  the  rest  twice  in  three  times,  he  will  win 
easily  against  an  equal,  but  if  he  is  giving  very  large 
odds  he  cannot  afford  to  lose  even  one  stroke  in  three. 
In  such  cases  the  better  player  can  afford  to  take  no 
risks  whatever,  and  must  play  wholly  for  safety.  If  the 
odds  are  very  small,  he  should  play  the  same  game 
that  he  would  when  playing  level,  and  between  these 
two  extremes  his  own  judgment  must  guide  him  in 
deciding  what  style  of  game  to  play. 

There  is  little  to  say  about  odds  in  themselves,  as  it 
is  settled  by  law  how  they  shall  be  taken  ;  thus  fifteen 
is  one  stroke  given  at  the  beginning  of  every  game  of  a 
set,  and  no  judgment  can  make  it  anything  else.  There 
is,  however,  one  important  exception,  the  bisque. 


CHAPTER    VIL 

BISQUE. 

A  BISQUE  is  one  stroke  given  in  each  set  of  a  match, 
either  by  itself  or  to  increase  or  diminish  other  odds. 
In  other  words,  a  player  to  whom  a  bisque  is  given  can 
at  any  time  in  the  set  add  one  stroke  to  his  score  simply 
by  claiming  it  The  only  restrictions  are  that  a  bisque 
cannot  be  taken  after  serving  a  fault  or  during  a  rest. 
A  bisque  can  be  taken  after  one's  opponent  has  served 
a  fault.  The  explanation  is  very  simple.  It  is  not  in- 
tended that  a  player  should  attempt  to  give  a  very 
difficult  service,  which  would  give  him  an  advantage  if  it 
should  come  off,  and  then,  when  it  has  failed,  take  his 
bisque.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  not  been  thought 
necessary  to  forbid  him  to  take  his  bisque  after  his 
opponent  has  served  a  fault,  because  in  this  case 
nothing  can  be  gained  by  waiting  till  the  first  service 
has  failed. 

The  value  of  a  bisque  must  always  vary  as  the  chance 
to  take  it  to  the  best  advantage  comes  or  does  not  come. 
In  a  very  large  number  of  matches,  winning  a  particular 
stroke  would  make  all  the  difference  in  the  world.  In 
other  matches,  by  no  means  one-sided,  there  is  no  one 


74  Lawn-  Tennis. 


turning-point  where  a  bisque  is  of  much  value.  But  if 
the  value  of  a  bisque  varies  according  to  chance,  it 
varies  a  great  deal  more  according  to  the  knowledge  and 
skill  of  the  player  who  takes  it.  When,  then,  should  a 
bisque  be  taken  ? 

1.  To  make  three,  four,  or  five  games  love. 

2.  To  make  three,  four,  or  five  games  to  one. 

3.  To  make  four  or  five  games  to  two. 

4.  To  make  five  games  to  three. 

5.  Sometimes  to  make  four  games  to  three  or  five  games  to  four. 

6.  Sometimes  to  make  five  games  all. 

7.  Sometimes  to  make  three  or  four  games  to  five. 

8.  Sometimes  to  make  deuce  at  four  games  to  five. 

9.  Always  to  make  game  and  set. 

I  will  now  try  to  give  the  reasons  for  taking  a  bisque 
in  each  of  the  above  cases. 

I.  Three  games  love  is  a  winning  score.  Two  games 
to  one  is  a  level  one.  Four  games  to  one  is  about  three 
games  more  (practically)  than  three  to  two.  So  in  a 
still  greater  degree  is  there  a  difference  between  five 
games  to  one  and  four  games  to  two.  In  each  of  these 
cases,  winning  the  game  will  give  a  commanding  lead, 
and  therefore  it  is  right  to  take  the  bisque  to  make  sure 
of  it. 

The  same  reasoning  applies  to  Cases  2,  3,  and  4. 

5.  In  changing  sides  with  a  distinct  difference  between 
the  sides,  and  with  the  score  of  games  level,  it  is  always 
right  to  take  a  bisque  to  make  game  on  the  worse  side. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  mistake  to  take  it  on  the 
better  side,  unless  winning  the  game  will  make  a  very 
great  difference  in  the  score.  For  instance,  I  should 
always  take  a  bisque  to  make  four  games  to  three  on 


Bisque.  75 

the  worse  side,  but  never  on  the  better,  for  I  should  feel 
that  there  was  little  chance  for  the  set  if  I  could  not 
win  on  the  better  side  without  my  bisque.  The  same 
principle  applies,  though  in  a  smaller  degree,  to  the 
service.  If  the  server  has  been  losing  nearly  every 
game,  it  would  be  quite  right  to  take  a  bisque  to  make 
five  games  to  four  or  four  games  to  three  on  one's  ser- 
vice, or  on  one's  opponent's  service  if  the  server  has  been 
winning. 

6.  To  make  five  games  all.     This  is  a  very  hard  case 
to  decide,  especially  in  an  advantage  set.     It  is  simply 
a  matter  of  judgment.     If  the  chances  are  against  one's 
winning  at  five  all,  with  the  bisque  gone,  it  is  certainly 
better  not  to  take  it,  and  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  the 
set  at  six  to  four. 

7.  In  these  cases  the  question   is  not  of  getting  an 
advantage  in  the  set,  but  of  taking  the  best  chance  of 
saving  a  losing  set.     The  question  again  is,  whether  one 
thinks  that  one  can  win  at  three  or  four  to  five  ;  if  not, 
one  had  better  keep  the  bisque,  and  trust  to  luck  to  save 
one  more  game  without  it. 

8.  In  this  case,  one  stroke  will  lose  the  set,  and  unless 
there  is  good   reason   to  expect  to  win  that  stroke  the 
bisque  should  be  taken.     As  a  rule,  it  is  wrong  to  take 
a   bisque   to    make  deuce,  but    in  this  case  something 
must  be  done  and  done  at  once. 

9.  This  rule   simply  means — don't  forget  the  bisque. 
There  have  been  a  great  many  matches  lost  because  a 
player  has  forgotten  to  take  the  set  when  it  was  won. 

As  said  above,  it  is  seldom  right  to  take  a  bisque  to 
make  deuce,  because  at  deuce  the  giver  of  odds  will 
probably  win,  and  the  bisque  will  have  been  wasted. 


76  Lawn-  Tennis. 


The  probability,  of  course,  varies  with  the  difference 
between  the  two  players.  Thus,  if  receiving  thirty  and 
a  bisque,  it  would  be  folly  for  the  worse  player  to  take 
his  bisque  to  make  deuce  ;  if  giving  thirty  for  a  bisque, 
the  bisque  should  not  be  taken  to  make  game.  In  both 
these  cases  deuce  should  mean  a  certainty  for  the 
better  player. 

Where  a  bisque  is  given  with  small  odds,  as  at  half- 
fifteen  and  a  bisque,  the  difference  between  the  two 
players  is  not  so  marked,  and  the  bisque  may  be  taken 
to  make  deuce  or  game  as  occasion  demands. 

All  that  has  been  said  is  meant  to  apply  to  cases 
where  a  bisque  is  given  alone  or  to  increase  other  odds, 
as  it  is  not  now  the  custom  in  lawn-tennis  to  give  a 
bisque  to  diminish  other  odds.  Should  this  be  done, 
the  bisque  should  be  taken  to  make  deuce,  and  not 
game. 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  there  is  a  moral  effect  in 
a  bisque.  Few  men  play  up  with  as  much  confidence 
with  a  bisque  hanging  over  them  as  they  do  when  it  is 
gone,  and  for  this  reason  a  bisque  should  not  be  taken 
early  in  a  set  except  to  secure  a  commanding  lead.  It 
should  never  be  taken  in  the  first  two  games. 

There  ought  to  be  no  need  to  explain  that  there 
can  be  no  use  in  taking  a  bisque  at  forty-love  or  at 
forty-fifteen.  The  bisque  will  make -game  just  as  well 
at  forty-thirty,  and  if  the  game  can  be  won  without  it 
so  much  the  better.  Moreover,  no  good  can  come  of 
taking  a  bisque  at  deuce  ;  there  is  quite  time  enough 
at  advantage  for  either  player.  There  is  another  point 
too  often  overlooked.  There  is  no  object  in  taking  a 
bisque  unless  there  is  a  reasonable  prospect  of  winning 


Bisque.  77 

the  set  after  the  bisque  is  gone.  With  the  score  at 
five  games-love,  a  bisque  should  not  be  taken  to  make 
one  game  to  five,  because  at  that  score  there  is  no  real 
chance  for  the  set.  The  only  hope  is  to  win  two  or 
three  games  with  the  bisque  still  in.  This  may  not  be 
possible  to  do,  but  it  is  the  right  thing  to  try  for. 

It  is  very  common  to  see  a  player  who  is  losing  take 
a  bisque  or  two  bisques  almost  at  random,  from  a  mor- 
bid fear  of  never  taking  them  at  all.  In  this  way  he 
adds  a  game  or  two  to  his  score,  but  he  forgets  that  it 
is  sets,  and  not  games,  that  win  matches.  It  is  far 
better  to  risk  losing  the  set  at  six-love  than  to  give  up 
a  chance  of  winning  it  by  taking  a  bisque  for  the  sake 
of  saving  one  game.  In  such  cases  the  best  chance  is 
to  keep  the  bisque  in,  and  if  the  set  does  go  wrong, 
and  the  bisque  is  never  taken,  the  player  can  console 
himself  with  the  thought  that  he  has  taken  all  the 
chances  in  his  favour,  and  could  do  no  more. 

With  two  bisques  given,  one  of  them  can  be  taken  a 
little  more  freely  than  if  it  were  the  only  one  ;  but  even 
then  it  is  almost  always  wrong  to  take  it  in  the  first  two 
games.  One  may  often  be  taken  to  make  deuce  at  a 
critical  time,  and  I  should  myself  always  take  the  first 
one  to  make  three  games  to  five. 

To  take  a  bisque  well  a  player  must  make  up  his 
mind  how  much  he  can  expect  to  do  after  the  bisque  is 
gone.  If  he  does  not  see  his  way  to  winning,  it  is 
always  justifiable  to  reserve  the  bisque  for  a  better 
chance  later.  Thus,  if  a  player  thinks  that  the  odds  given 
him  are  too  small,  he  is  quite  right  to  run  a  good  deal  of 
risk  rather  than  take  a  bisque  early  in  the  set. 


78  L  a  wn  -  Ten  n  is . 


Before  concluding,  it  seems  in  place  to  speak  of  the 
value  of  a  bisque  as  compared  with  other  odds,  that  is, 
how  many  equal  fifteen.  I  believe  that  about  six  bisques 
have  been  calculated  to  be  the  equivalent  of  fifteen,  but 
I  cannot  help  thinking  that  four  would  be  nearer  right 
than  six  in  actual  play.  It  seems  to  me  impossible  that 
the  number  can  be  determined  exactly,  because  the 
practical  value  of  a  bisque  must  vary,  and  because  the 
moral  effect  cannot  be  gauged.  The  average  number  of 
games  to  a  set  is  about  nine  where  advantage  sets  are 
not  played  ;  therefore  fifteen  equals  nine  strokes  on  the 
average,  one  given  in  each  game.  In  how  many  games 
of  the  nine  is  that  stroke  actually  of  value  ?  I  do  not 
know ;  but  there  are  always  a  number  of  games  which 
are  hollow  for  one  side  or  the  other.  In  one  case  the 
stroke  given  is  useless,  and  in  the  other  it  would  pro- 
bably not  have  been  needed.  Let  us  suppose  that 
fifteen -represents  the  difference  between  two  players, 
and  that  they  play  level.  Will  the  weaker  player  win 
any  games  ?  I  fancy  that  he  will  win  two  or  even  three 
games,  and  he  wants  a  sufficient  number  of  bisques  to 
win  three  or  four  other  games.  Let  us  suppose  that  he 
wins  two  games  level.  I  think  that  there  will  be  at 
least  two  other  games  that  can  be  won  by  a  bisque 
each.  Should  this  be  the  case,  the  score  could  not  be 
worse  than  five  games  to  four  against  him,  and  two 
bisques  still  in — by  no  means  an  uneven  set. 

For  myself,  I  should  never  hesitate  between  five 
bisques  and  fifteen,  and  I  think  that  I  should  take  four 
if  I  could  not  get  five.  My  own  feeling  is  that  the  right 
number  is  just  over  four. 


Bisque.  79 

I  should  say,  in  conclusion,  that  I  am  very  ignorant 
of  the  mathematical  calculations  which  bear  on  the 
matter,  and  I  offer  these  opinions  as  the  result  of 
experience  in  actual  play,  and  from  watching  matches 
where  bisques  were  given. 


CHAPTER    Vlfl. 

CASES   AND   DECISIONS. 

THE  following  Cases  and  Decisions  are  intended  to 
meet  questions  often  asked  at  tournaments  ;  and  also  to 
cover  points  apparently  not  provided  for  in  the  laws. 
They  have  been  prepared  with  the  advice  and  assistance 
of  Messrs.  W.  and  E.  Renshaw,  B.  C.  Evelegh,  N.  L. 
Jackson,  and  R.  D.  Sears,  to  whom  the  author  returns 
his  thanks  : — 

I.  A  player   standing   outside   the   court  volleys  the 
ball  or  catches   it  in  his  hand,  and  claims  the  stroke 
because  the  ball  was  certainly  going  out  of  court. 

Decision.— He  loses  the  stroke.  It  makes  no  differ- 
ence where  he  was  standing.  The  return  is  presumed 
good  until  it  strikes  the  ground  outside  of  the  court. 

II.  A  player  is  struck  by  the  ball  served  before  it  has 
touched    the    ground,   he    being   outside  of  the  service 
court.     How  does  it  count  ? 

Decision. — The  player  struck  loses  the  stroke.  The 
service  is  presumably  good  until  it  strikes  in  the  wrong 
court.  A  player  cannot  take  the  decision  upon  himself 
by  stopping  the  ball.  If  it  is  going  to  be  a  fault  he  has 
only  to  get  out  of  the  way. 

III.  The  service  is  delivered  before  the  striker-out  is 
ready.     He  tries  to  return  it  and  fails;     Is  he  entitled  to 
have  it  played  over  again  ? 


Cases  and  Decisions.  8 1 

Decision. — No.  If  he  attempts  to  return  the  service 
he  is  deemed  ready. 

IV.  The  striker-out  calls  "  Not  ready "  for  a  second 
service.     The  ball  strikes  beyond  the  service-line,  and 
the  striker-out  claims   that    the  fact   that  he  was    not 
ready   makes    no    difference    since   a   fault    cannot   be 
returned,  and  therefore  that  two  faults  have  been  served. 

Decision. — The  second  service  goes  for  nothing.  A 
player  cannot  call  "  Not  ready,"  and  then  have  the 
service  count,  or  not,  as  suits  his  interests. 

V.  A  ball  having  been   played  over  the  net,  bounds 
back  into  the  court  from  which  it  came.     The  player 
reaches  over  the  net  and  plays  it  before  it  falls.     Has  he 
a  right  to  do  so  ? 

Decision. — Yes,  provided  he  does  not  touch  the  net. 
He  has  a  right  to  play  the  ball  at  any  time  from  the 
moment  it  crosses  the  net  into  his  court  until  it  touches 
the  ground  a  second  time. 

VI.  A  ball  is  played  into  the  net  ;  the  player  on  the 
other  side,  thinking  that  the  ball  is  coming  over,  strikes 
at  it  and  hits  the  net.     Who  loses  the  stroke  ? 

Decision. — It  is  simply  a  question  of  fact  for  the 
umpire  to  decide.  If  the  player  touched  the  net  while 
the  ball  was  still  in  play  he  loses  the  stroke. 

VII.  Can  a  player  follow  a  ball  over  the  net  with  his 
racket,  provided  that  he  hits  the  ball  on  his  own  side  of 
the  net  ? 

Decision. — Yes.  The  only  restrictions  are,  that  he 
shall  not  volley  the  ball  until  it  has  crossed  the  net,  and 
that  he  shall  not  touch  the  net  or  any  of  its  supports. 

VIII.  A  player's   racket   slips  out  of  his   hand   and 
flies  into  the  net.     Does  he  lose  the  stroke  for  hitting 
the  net  ?  G 


Lawn-Tennis. 


Decision. — Yes,  if  the  ball  be  still  in  play.  It  does 
not  matter  if  the  racket  be  in  a  player's  hand  or  not. 

IX.  A  player's  racket  leaves  his  hand,  but  meets  the 
ball  and  returns  it  over  the  net.     Is  it  a  good  return  ? 

Decision. — Yes.  There  is  no  law  requiring  a  racket 
to  be  in  a  player's  hand  when  the  ball  is  returned.  It 
would  unquestionably  be  a  good  return  if  the  racket 
were  held  against  the  ground  by  a  player's  feet,  and  the 
ball  bounded  back  off  of  it. 

X.  A  single  match  is  played  with  a  double  net  and 
inside    posts.      A  player  touches    the    net    beyond    the 
inside  posts,  and  claims  that  he  does  not  lose  the  stroke, 
because  there  should  be  no  net  more  than  3ft.  outside  of 
the  court. 

Decision. — He  loses  the  stroke.  The  net  where  he 
touched  it  is  part  of  the  supports  of  the  net.  He  might, 
perhaps,  have  objected  to  the  arrangement  of  the  net 
before  the  match. 

XL  A  player  returns  the  ball,  and  finding  that  he 
cannot  stop  himself  before  reaching  the  net,  jumps  over 
it.  Is  it  a  good  return  ? 

Decision. — Law  5  requires  that  "  the  players  shall 
stand  on  opposite  sides  of  the  net,"  and  therefore  the 
player  invading  his  opponent's  court  loses  the  stroke. 

XII.  A  ball  passes  outside  the  post  of  the   net  and 
strikes  in  court.     Is  it  a  good  return  ? 

Decision. — Yes.  The  laws  have  been  changed  to 
make  it  a  good  return. 

XIII.  A  ball  going  out  of  court  hits  the  top  of  the 
post  of  the  net,  and  bounds  into  the  opposite  court. 

Decision. — It  is  a  good  return.  (N.B. — It  has  occurred 
with  the  regular  championship  posts.) 


Cases  and  Decisions.  83 

XIV.  The  service  or  the  ball  in   play  strikes  a  ball 
lying  in  the  court     Can  it  be  returned  ? 

Dfdsion. — Yes ;  if  it  be  clear  to  the  umpire  that  the 
right  ball  is  returned  ;  otherwise  the  stroke  should  be 
called  a  let. 

XV.  The    server   claims    that    the    striker-out    must 
stand  in  the  court.     Is  this  necessary  ? 

Decision. — No.  The  striker-out  can  stand  wherever 
he  pleases  on  his  own  side  of  the  net. 

XVI.  A  bystander  gets  in  the  way  of  a  player  who 
fails  to  return  the  ball.     May  he  then  claim  a  let  ? 

Decision. — Yes,  if  in  the  umpire's  opinion  he  was 
prevented  by  an  accident  beyond  his  control.  For 
instance,  if  the  ropes  or  the  seats  are  allowed  to  be  so 
near  to  the  court  that  a  player  is  interfered  with  by 
them,  the  stroke  should  not  be  played  again,  because 
the  ropes  and  seats  form  part  of  the  arrangements  of 
the  ground.  If,  however,  a  spectator  passes  in  front  of 
those  seats,  or  places  a  chair  nearer  than  the  original 
line,  and  so  interferes  with  a  player,  the  stroke  should 
be  played  again. 

XVII.  A  player  is   interfered  with  as  above,  and  the 
umpire  directs    the    stroke  to  be   played    again.     The 
server  had    previously  served   a  fault.      He  claims  the 
right  to  two  services. 

Decision. — The  fault  stands.  A  let  does  not  annul  a 
previous  fault. 

XVIII.  A  return  hits  the  umpire  or  his  chair  or  stand  ; 
the  player  claims  that  the  ball  was  going  into  court. 

Decision. — Unless  the  umpire  can  say  that  the  ball 
was  in  his  opinion  not  going  into  court,  he  should  call 
a  let. 


84  Lawn-Tennis. 


XIX.  A  player  receiving  fifteen  serves  from  the  left 
court,  his  opponent  claims  a  fault. 

Decision. — It  is  a  fault.  The  service  starts  from  the 
right  court  under  all  circumstances. 

XX. — At  fifteen  all,  the  server  by  mistake  serves 
from  the  left  court  ;  he  wins  the  stroke  and  serves  again 
(a  fault).  The  mistake  is  then  discovered.  Is  he  entitled 
to  the  previous  stroke  ?  From  which  court  should  he 
serve  next  ? 

Decision. — The  previous  stroke  stands.  A  fault  can- 
not be  claimed  after  the  next  service,  good  or  not,  is 
delivered.  The  next  service  should  be  from  the  left 
court,  the  score  being  thirty- fifteen,  and  the  server  has 
served  one  fault. 

XXL — A  player  serves  from  the  wrong  court,  he 
loses  the  stroke,  and  then  claims  that  it  was  a  fault. 

Decision. — If  the  stroke  was  played  in  his  first  service 
it  is  simply  a  fault,  but  if  he  serves  twice  into  the  wrong 
court  he  has  served  two  faults,  and  lost  the  stroke. 

XXII. — The  partner  of  the  player  whose  turn  it  is  to 
serve,  serves  and  wins  the  game.  The  error  is  not 
discovered  until  the  first  service  of  the  next  game 
has  been  delivered. 

Decision. — A  new  game  having  been  begun,  the  pre- 
vious game  stands. 

XXIII. — The  same  case  as  above,  except  that  the 
error  is  discovered  after  two  or  three  strokes  have  been 
played. 

Decision. — Any  score  made  before  the  last  service  is 
delivered  stands — i.e.,  the  last  stroke  does  not  stand 
unless  another  service  (fault  or  not)  has  been  delivered. 
The  proper  server  will  then  serve. 


Cases  and  Decisions.  85 

XXIV. — With  the  score  at  thirty-forty,  the  server  takes 
a  bisque,  and  then  serves  from  the  right  court.  His 
opponent  claims  a  fault. 

Decision. — It  is  a  fault.  The  service  must  come  alter- 
nately from  the  right  and  left  courts. 

XXV. — A  player  takes  a  bisque  after  the  server  has 
served  a  fault.  Which  court  does  the  server  next  serve 
from? 

Decision. — From  the  same  court. 

XXVI. — The  score  is  five  games  all,  and  the  umpire 
directs  the  players  to  play  an  advantage  set.  The 
advantage  game  has  been  won  when  it  is  discovered 
that  no  advantage  sets  are  to  be  played.  What  is  to 
be  done  ? 

Decision. — The  set  is  won  at  the  eleventh  game.  It 
is  no  part  of  the  umpire's  duty  to  decide  on  the  con- 
ditions of  the  matches. 

XXVII. — A  player  serves.  He  hears  the  umpire  call, 
but  cannot  hear  what  he  says.  He  knows  that  the  only 
two  things  that  the  umpire  should  call  are  "fault  "and  "let," 
and  that  in  neither  case  can  the  ball  be  in  play.  He 
therefore  does  not  return  it,  only  to  find  that  the  umpire 
has  called  play.  Has  he  any  redress  ? 

Decision. — No. 

XXVIII.— The  umpire  calls ''fault"  and  then  instantly 
changes  and  says  "play."  The  striker-out  fails  to  return 
the  ball,  and  he  claims  that  he  was  prevented  by  the 
umpire,  and  also  that  the  umpire  cannot  change  his 
decision. 

Decision. — The  umpire  should  call  a  let  and  the  service 
be  taken  again. 


86  Lawn- Tennis. 


XXIX  -—A  ball  drops  near  a  line,  the  player  appeals, 
and  the  umpire  calls  "  play."  The  player  misunderstands 
the  call,  and  lets  the  ball  fall.  He  then  claims  to  have 
the  stroke  played  again. 

Decision. — The  stroke  stands. 

XXX. — A  ball  strikes  the  ground  close  to  a  line,  the 
scorer  scores  the  stroke  against  the  striker.  On  appeal 
to  the  linesman,  the  latter  decides  that  the  ball  was  not 
out.  Which  decision  stands  ? 

Decision. — The  scorer  has  no  right  to  consider  a  ball 
out  until  the  linesman  has  called  to  that  effect  ;  there- 
fore the  decision  of  the  latter  must  be  accepted.  The 
decision  of  a  linesman  affecting  his  own  line  is  final. 

XXXI. — A  return  strikes  the  cord  running  along  the 
bottom  of  the  net  and  bounds  over.  Is  it  a  good  return? 

Dt  cision. — Yes. 

X5CXII. — During  play  a  ball  is  thrown  into  the  court 
and  the  ball  in  play  strikes  it,  or  a  player  steps  on  it. 
May  a  let  be  claimed  ? 

Decision. — Yes. 

XXXIII. — The  server's  first  service  strikes  his  partner. 
Does  he  lose  the  stroke  or  is  it  a  fault  ? 

Decision. — He  loses  the  stroke. 

XXXIV. — A  player  serves  a  fault,  and  it  is  then  dis- 
covered that  it  is  his  partner's  service.  Does  the  fault 
stand  ? 

Decision. — No.  No  other  service  having  been  delivered, 
the  fault  does  not  stand. 

XXXV. — If  the  umpire  is  appealed  to,  and  directs 
the  wrong  partner  to  serve  and  the  mistake  is  discovered 
in  the  middle  of  the  game,  what  should  be  done  ? 

Decision. — See  decisions  XX  to  XXIII.  The  player 
who  should  have  served  continues  the  service. 


Cases  and  Decisions.  87 

XXXVI. — In  a  four-handed  competition  one  player 
does  not  to  appear  in  time  to  play,  and  his  partner 
claims  to  be  allowed  to  play  single-handed  against  the 
opposing  pair.  May  he  do  so  I 

Decision. — No. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
RESULTS     OF    CHAMPIONSHIP     MATCHES 

AND 

PRINCIPAL    OPEN    COMPETITIONS. 


UNITED  KINGDOM. 

THE     CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
GENTEMEN'S  SINGLES. 
Winner  Championship. 


1877  S.  W.  Gore 

1878  P.  F.  Hadow 

1879  J.  T.  Hartley 


1880    J.  T.  Hartley 
W. 


1881 

1882 


Renshaw 
W.  Renshaw 


Winner  all  Comers. 

1877  S.  W.  Gore 

1878  P.  F.  Hadow      . 

1879  J.  T.  Hartley      . 

1880  II .  F.  Lawford  . 

1 88 1  W.  Renshaw 

1882  E.  Renshaw 

1883  E.  Renshaw 

1884  H.  F.. Lawford  . 

1885  H.  F.  Lawford  . 


1883  W.  Renshaw 

1884  W.  Renshaw 

1885  W.  Renshaw 

Runners  Up. 

W.  Marshall 
L.  Erskine 
V.  St.  Ledger 
O.  E.  Woodhouse 
R.  T.  Richardson 
R.  T.  Richardson 

D.  Stewart 

C.  W.  Grinstead 

E.  Renshaw 


List  of  Winners.  89 

DOUBLE  CHAMPIONSHIP. 
Winners.  Runners  Up. 

1879  L.    R.    Erskine    and    H.     F. 

Lawford         F.  Durant  and  G.  E.  Tabor 

1880  W.  Renshaw and  E.  Renshaw...  O.  E.  Woodhouse  and  C.  J    Cole 

1881  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw...  W.  J.  Down  and  H.  Vaughan 

1882  J.    T.    Hartley    and     R.     T. 

Richardson J.  G.  Horn  and  C.  B.  Russell 

1883  C.   W.    Grinstead    and    C.    E. 

Welldon         C.  B.  Russell  and  R.  T.  Milford 

1884  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw...     E.  L.  Williams  and  E.  W.  Lewis 
2885    W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw...     A.  J.  Stanley  and  C.  E.  Farrer 

LADIES'  CHAMPIONSHIP. 
Winners.  Runners  Up. 

1884  Miss  M.  Watson      Miss  Watson 

1885  Miss  M.  Watson      Miss  Bingley. 


IRISH     CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 

1879  V.  St  Ledger          1882    W.  Renshaw          1884    H.  F.  Lawford 

1880  W.  Renshaw          1883     E.  Renshaw  1885     H.  F.  Lawford 

1 88 1  W.  Renshaw 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 

1883     Miss  M.  Langrishe  1884    Miss  M.  Watson 

1885     Miss  M.  Watson 

DOUBLES. 

1879  E.  Elliott  and  R.  Kellie 

1880  H.  F.  Lawford  and  A.  J.  Mulholland 

1881  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 

1882  E.  de  S.  Browne  and  P.  Aungier 

1883  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 

1884  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 

1885  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 


SCOTTISH     CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
SINGLES. 

1878  J.  Patten  1881     J.  G.  Horn  1884    R.  Gamble 

1879  L.  M.  Balfour       1882     [.  G.  Horn  1885     Hon.  P.  B.  Ly  n 

1880  J.  Patten  1883    J.  G.  Horn 


go  L  awn-  Tennis. 


DOUBLES. 

1878  A.  Graham  Murray  and  C.  C.  Maconochie 

1879  A.  Graham  Murray  and  C.  C.  Maconochie 

1880  A.  Graham  Murray  and  C.  C.  Maconochie 

1881  W.  Horn  and  J.  Galbraith  Horn 

1882  C.  B.  Russell  and  M.  G.  Lascelles 

1883  F.  A.  Fairlie  and  A.  L.  Davidson 

1884  The  Hon.  P.  B.  Lyon  and  H.  B.  Lyon 

1885  E.  W.  Lewis  and  R.  M.  Watson 


NORTHERN     CHAMPIONSHIPS, 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 

1880  R.  T.  Richardson  1883     H.  W.  Wilberforce 

1881  K.  T.  Richardson  1884     D.  Stewart 

1882  R.  T.  Richardson  1885    J.  DwigKt 

GENTLEMEN'S  DOUBLES. 

1880  R.  W.  Braddell  and  J.  Coomber 

1881  R.  W.  Braddell  and  J.  Coomber 

1882  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 

1883  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 
•1884  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 
1885  W.  Renshaw  and  E.  Renshaw 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 
1883    Miss  Coleridge        1884    Miss  E.  Davies        1885    Miss  M.  Watson 

LADIES'  DOUBLES. 

1882  Miss  Langrishe  and  Miss  M.  Langrishe 

1883  Miss  Coleridge  and  Miss  R.  Collier 

1884  Miss  E.  Davies  and  Miss  Eckersley 

1885  Miss  Dodd  and  Miss  L.  Dodd 


BATH     CHAMPIONSHIPS     OF    THE    WEST    OF 
ENGLAND. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 

1881  P.  G.  Von  Donop  1883     E.  de  S.  Browne 

1882  G.  M.  Butterworth  1884     E.  de  S.  Browne 

1885     E.  de  S.  Browne 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 

1881  Miss  G.  B.  Gibbs  1883    Miss  M.  Watson 

1882  Miss  F.  Morris  1884    Miss  E.  Davies 

1885    Miss  G.  B.  Gibbs 


List  of  Winners.  91 


CHELTENHAM. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES 
1883    D.  Stewart  1884     D.  Stewart  1885     E.  de  S.  Browne 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 

1883    Miss  M.  Watson  1884    Miss  E.  Davies 

1885     Miss  M.  Watson 


EXMOUTH. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 

1881  E.  D.  Maconchy  1883     C.  W.  Grinstead 

1882  C.  L.  Sweet  1884     C.  W.  Grinstead 

1885     (No  meeting  held) 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 

1881  Miss  Cole  1883     Miss  M  Watson        1885     (No  meeting  held) 

1882  Miss  Cole  1884    Miss  M.  Watson 


LONDON     CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 
1885    C   H.  Ross. 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 
1885     Miss  M.  Watson 

PRINCE'S     CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

1880  H.  F.  Lawford  1882     E.  Renshaw 

1 88 1  W.  Renshaw  1883     H.  F.  Lawford 

BUXTON. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 
1884    C.  W.  Grinstead  1885     E.  Chatterton 

LADIES'  SINGLES. 
1884    Mrs.  Watts  1885    Miss  Bingley 


92  Lawn-  Tennis. 


GENTLEMEN'S  DOUBLES. 

1884  C    W.  Gi  instead  and  J    R.  Deykin 

1885  W.  Renshaw  and  J,  D wight 

LADIES'  DOUBLES. 

1884  Mrs   Watts  and  Miss  Noon 

1885  Mrs.  Watts  and  Miss  Bracewell 


EASTBOURNE. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 

1 88 1  E.  Lubbock  1883     E.  L.  Williams         1885     E.  W.  Lewis 

1882  W.  C.  Taylor        1884     E.  L.  Williams 

GENTLEMEN'S  DOUBLES. 

1884  E.  Renshaw  and  C.  L.  Sweet 

1885  E.  Renshaw  and  H.  Grove 


EDINBURGH    UNIVERSITY    OPEN    TOURNAMENT. 

WINNERS  OF  CHALLENGE  CUP. 

1883    J.  Galbraith  Horn  1884     W.  W.  Chamberlain 

1885     Hon.  H.  B.  Lyon 


CHISWICK. 

GENTLEMEN'S  SINGLES. 

1884    C.  W.  Grinstead  1885     H.  Chipp 


COVERED   COURT   CHAMPIONSHIP. 

1885  H.  F.  Lawford 

1886  E.  L.  Williams 


List  of  Winners.  93 


AMERICA. 

CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

SINGLES. 

lS8i     R.  D.  Sears  1883     R.  D.  Sears  1885     R.  D.  Sears 

1882     U.  D.  Sears  1884     R.  D.  Sears 

DOUBLES. 

1 88 1  C.  M.  and  J.  S.  Clark  1883    J.  Dwight  and  R.  D.  Sears 

1882  J.  Dwight  and  R.  D.  Sears          1884    J.  Dwight  and  R.  D.  Sears 

1885     R.  D.  Sears  and  J.  S.  Clark 


PRINCIPAL   OPEN  EVENTS— SEASON,  1885. 
YOUNG  AMERICA  TOURNAMENT  AT  PHILADELPHIA- 

SINGLES— J.  S.  Clark. 


CHAMPIONSHIP  OF  MIDDLE  STATES  AT  NEW  YORK. 
R.  D.  Sears. 


HASTINGS. 
SINGLES — R.  L.  Beekman. 

ORANGE,    NEW    JERSEY. 
SINGLES — Slocum. 


CHAMPIONSHIP    OF    CANADA. 
J.  S.  Clark. 

WENTWORTH,  N.H. 
SINGLES  — W.  V.  R.  Berry. 


94 


L  awn-  Tenn  is. 


KARRAGANSETT     PIER. 
SINGLES— W.  V.  R.  Berry.' 

INTER-COLLEGIATE     CHAMPIONSHIP. 

SINGLES,  YALE— Percy  Knapp. 
DOUBLES,  YALE— Knapp  and  Shipman. 


WRIGHT  &  DITS0N, 


Manufacturers  and  Dealers  in 


•   Fl  NE  •   • 


We  make  Lawn  Tennis  Outfits  a  specialty,  and 
make  it  our  business  to  keep  posted  on  the  latest 
and  best  implements  used  in  the  game.  We  are  the  largest 
manufacturers  of  this  line  of  goods  in  the  country. 


Rackets,  .  .  . 


Balls,  .  , 


Nets,  .  .  . 


and 


Poles. 


Send  name  and  address  for  our  Tennis  Price-List,  which  will 
give  full  particulars. 

WRIGHT  &  DITSON, 

580  Washington  Street Boston,  Mass. 


SPECIMEN 
ILLUSTRATION 


"A  REPRESENTATIVE  BOOK  FOR  A  SPORTSMAN'S  LIBRARY." 


In  the  Edition  de  Liixe  this  work  became  widely  known,  and  was  enthusi- 
astically welcomed  by  book  lovers  and  Nature  lovers  as  the  most  complete  and 
worthy  book  on  American  Hunting  and  Fishing  and  Out-Door  Life.  This 
limited  edition  is  nearly  exhausted ;  and  to  meet  the  continued  demand  a  new, 
popular  edition  has  been  issued  at  the  low  price  of  $15.00.  It  is  printed  by 
De  Vinne  on  heavy  paper,  and  it  contains  all  the  illustrations,  though  none  are  on 
Japanese  paper.  The  Edition  de  Luxe  will  be  sold  for  the  present  at  its  original 
price, — from  $10.00  to  $18.00,  according  to  binding.  Send  for  further  information. 
to  THE  CENTURY  CO.,  New  York. 


THE  BEST  LAWN-TENNIS  SCORE  BOOK 

"THE  PASTIME." 

Used  at  all  the  principal  Tournaments  last  Season 
and gaue  un'wersal Satisfaction. 

"THE  PASTIME"  LAWN-TENNIS  SCORE  BOOK 

CONTAINS— 

Score  Sheets  for  60  Sets;  Hints  to  Umpires;  Instructions  for 
drawing  Byes;  and  Tabular  Arrangements  showing  the 
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be  understood  at  a  glance  without  the  calculations  necessary 
if  the  ordinary  scale  be  used. 

"THE  PASTIME"  LAWN-TENNIS  SCORE  BOOK  is  the  CHEAPEST. 
Price  9d.  each,  or  8s.  6d.  per  dozen. 

To  be  obtained  at 

"Pastime"  Offices,  28,  29,  &  30,  Paternoster  Row,  London, 

OR  OF 

Partridge  &  Cooper,  191  &  192,  Fleet  Street,  London. 


Laws  of    Football   (Rugby   Union   and   Association). 

Price  2d.  each  ;  post  free,  2|d. 

Laws  of  Lawn-Tennis.    Price  6d. 

The  "Pastime"  Entry  Form  of  Athletic  Sports  and 

Cycling  Meetings.    Price  25.  per  100, 

"  PASTIME  "    OFFICES, 
28,29,  &  30,  PATERNOSTER  ROW,  LONDON,  E.G. 


THE    LAWN-TENNIS    JOURNAL 

AND 

WEEKLY    RECORD 

OF 

FOOTBALL,  AQUATICS,  CYCLING. 

AND 

ATHLETIC   SPORTS. 
EVERY     WEDNESDAY. 

"PASTIME"  is  the  recognised  <  r  jan  of  Lawn-Tennis 

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Price  2d  ;  post  free  2\d.    Subscriptions(payab/e  in  advance), 
3  months,  2s.  9d. ;  6  months,  5s.  6d. ;  yearly,  70s.  6d. 

Offices :  28,  Paternoster  Row,  London,  E,C, 

AGENTS— 

For  America :  Wright  &.  Ditson,  Boston,  U.S.A, 
For  Australia :  Melbourne  Sports  Depot,  Melbourne,  Australia. 


THE  ATHLETE'S  GUIDE. 

A   Complete  Guide  to   Training  for  Running, 
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TOGETHER  WITH  LISTS  OF  THE  BEST 

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EDITED    BY 

N.  L  JACKSON  AND  E.  H.  GODBOLD. 

Training   for   Running-.       By   W.    G.    George,    N.  L. 

Jackson,  and  H.  M.  Oliver. 
Training1  for  Walking.    By  G.  P.  Beckley. 
Swimming  and  Rowing.    By  Late  Champions. 
Best  Amateur  Records,  at  all  Distances. 
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events. 


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TRICYCLE, 

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"  The  most  successful  Tricycle  ever  invented." —  Vide  OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 


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MANCHESTER:    9,  VICTORIA    BUILDINGS. 

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MELBOURNE:    62  &  64,  ELIZABETH  ST. 


SLAZENGER  &  SONS, 

Manufacturers  of  every  Requisite  for  Lawn-Tennis, 


Price  15/~ 


To  meet  the  requirements 
of  those  players  who  desire 
a  bat  similar  to  the  No.  I, 
we  have  introduced  a  Racket 
which  we  shall  de-ignate  the 

"Ich  Dien."     It  is  made  of  rent  frames,  thoroughly 

lt Handy"  Press  seasoned,   but  unselected.      The  gut  is  transparent 

Pried  3/9  white,  English  manufacture,  and  of  excellent  quality.  The 
"  Ich  Dien"  is  a  useful  and  sightly  bat,  and  made  on  the 
most  approved  lines  from  the  recent  decisions  of  experts. 
Octagon  handle  and  oval  head. 


The  ' '  Handy "  Press  will  be  found  an  improvement, 
being  much  lighter  in  weight  and  more  portable.  Being 
in  parts,  it  can  be  packed  into  a  very  small  compass.  One 
screw  only  need  be  taken  out  to  remove  the  Racket. 


THE  "WATERFALL"  LAWN-TENNIS  COURT  MARKER, 

SECURED  BY  ROYAL  LETTERS  PATENT. 

This  is  an  entirely  new  Machine.  Since  its  introduction  it  has  been  thoroughly  tested 
and  has  proved  in  every  way  satisfactory.  We  can  confidently  recommend  it  as  being  the 
SlMP-LiEST  and  «*  8  I'  in  the  market. 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  illustration,  the  centre  wheel  workins  in  the  box,  and  which  we 
term  the  water  wheel,  is  made  with  hollow  teeth  or  buckets  ;  these  carry  the  composition 
(with  which  the  box  is  to  be  supplied),  and  deposit  it  upon  a  platform,  fixed  between  the 
front,  or  marking  wheel,  and  the  water  wheel;  thence  it  is  transferred  to  the  front  wheel, 
which  transmits  it  to  the  lawn. 


MARKS  A 

CLEAR 

AND 

DISTINCT 

LINE 

14  INCHES 
WIDE. 


Price  25J- 


CANNOT 
GET 

our 

OF 
ORDER. 


Price  List  and  Address  of  Local  Age.it  on  Application. 
56,   CANNON    STREET,    LONDON,  E.O. 


THE 

CHAMPION  LAWN-TENNIS  SHOE, 

SILVER  MEDAL,  LONDON,   1885. 

The  OHAMPION  LAWN-TENNI8  SHOE  is  made  of 
Specially  Prepared  Waterproof  Felt  instead 
of  India-  Rubber,  and  gives  Firm  Foothold,  with 
Lightness,  Durability,  and  greater  Flexibility 
than  any  other  Tennis  Shoe  rrnde  ;  does  not 
Blister  the  Feet,  and  is  the  only  Shoe  that  gives 
Perfect  Foothold  on  Wet  Grass. 

OPINIONS   OF  THE    PR£SS. 

"They  undoubtedly  fulfil  all  the  conditions  required  in  a  lawn- 
tennis  shoe."  —  Boot  and  Shoe  Trades  Journal. 

"  Their  extreme  lightness  should  strongly  recommend  them  to 
players."  —  Pastime  (the  Lawn-Tennis  Journal). 

"  We  have  not  tried  any  soles  so  good  in  all  respects  as  the 
Champion-  Felt  Soles  known  as  Stoddart's  Patent"  —  Field, 

"  The  Champion  Shoes  take  firm  hold  of  the  ground,  without 
damaging  the  grass."  —  The  Queen. 

Sold  by  Bootmakers,  Cricketing-  Outfitters,  &c. 

Wholesale  only  of  DERHAM   BROTHERS, 

BRISTOL  and  NORTHAMPTON. 


Every     Pair 
stamped 

with 

Registered 
Trade    Mark. 


STODDART'S    PATENT 


l\l  B, — if  any  difficulty  is  found  in  obtaining  the  Champion 
Lawn-Tennis  Shoe  (Stoddart's  Patent),  please  apply 
direct  to  the  Manufacturers. 


DEVERELL  BROS'. 

NEW  PATENT  TENNIS  RACKET, 

"THE  ELECTRIC." 


Four  Points  we  claim  for  it : — 

1.    STRINGING  NEVER  GIVES. 

2.    CAPITAL  DRIVING  POWER. 

3,    STANDS  HOTTEST  CLIMATES. 

4.    DEFIES  MOISTURE  OR  RAIN. 


Price  25s.  Cash  Discount  20%  5s.     Nett  20s. 

Our  New  Unsewn  THE 

TENNIS  BALL,  /DURABLE. 

"THE 

DURABLE." 

NO    StitCheS   tO   Cut.  See  every  Ball*  stamped,*  above. 

Price  per  doz.,  15s.  6d.  Cash  Discount  20%  3s.  Id.  Nett  12s.  5d, 


UNDERSEWN     TENNIS     BALL 

Is  THE  BEST  at  the  price. 

Price  per  doz.,  12s,  6d.    Cash  Discount  20%  2s,  6d.    Nett  10s. 

LAwrTT^ 

At  every  price  from   Ss.   6d. 

All  Goods  made  on  the  premises,  and  quality  guaranteed. 


MAKERS  OF  EVERY  REQUISITE  FOR  LAWN  TENNIS,  CRICKET,  &c,, 
73,    CHEAPSIDE,    LONDON,    E.G. 


F.  H,  AYRES, 

Manufacturer   of   Indoor   and    Outdoor 

GAMES  AND  SPORTS. 


THE   "CHAMPIONSHIP.1 
REGISTERED. 


Each  Ball  has 
a  fac-simile   of 

my  Signature 

stamped  thus  on 

the  cloth. 


Each  Ball  has 

also  the 
year  of  manu- 
facture stamped 
upon  it 


LAWN-TENNIS   BALL. 


THE    "CAXTON 
PATENT 


LAWN.TENNIS   MARKER. 


"  CO 


CATALOGUES   ON  APPLICATION. 

Ill,    ALDERSGATE    STREET,    E.G. 


SLAZENGER  &  SONS, 

Manufacturers  of  every  Requisite  for  Lawn-Tennis. 

Price  21 /•  The  "No.    i"  is  the  distinctive  mark  of     Price  21 /• 

a  Racket  which  we  with  great  confidence 
introduce  to  the  general  public  for  the  first 
time  this  season.  It  is  made  on  the  precise 
lines  of  Rackets  made  by  us  for  many  of  the 
most  prominent  and  successful  experts  of  the 
game  of  Lawn-Tennis,  and  has  been  so 
highly  spoken  of  by  them  that  a  very  large 
demand  has  already  been  created  for  it,  and 

we  have  every  reason  to  feel  certain  that  it  will  be 

one  of  our  most  popular  productions. 

The  "Lawford"  is  a  new  shape  this  season,  and 
b  specially  adapted  for  a  rapid  game.  The  head  is 
a  modification  and  combination  of  the  round  and 
square  head,  and  being  smaller  in  size,  the  handle 
is  necessarily  longer.  In  this  Racket  a  somewhat 
lesser  playing  surface  is  produced  ;  at  the  same  time 
a  very  rigid  tenison  is  obtained  in  the  stringing  giving 

a  quicker  return  of  the  ball,  at  the  same  it  is  not  so  well  adapted  for  screwing 

purposes.     It  is  made  with  the  octagon  handle. 

SELF-ADJUSTING  LEVER  TENNIS  POLES. 


HIGHEST 
AWARD 
INTER- 
NATIONAL 
INVENTIONS 
EXHIBITION. 


SIMPLE, 
EFFECTIVE, 

AND 

ORNAMENTAL. 

PRICE  25s. 

THE  SET. 


These  Poles  are  ornamental  and  effective ;  they  are  made  of  cast  iron, 
and  finished  in  black  japan  paint,  picked  out  with  gold.  For  utility  they 
have  no  equal.  By  means  of  a  lever  and  weight  the  Net  is  maintained  at  a 
uniform  height,  and  with  the  exact  tension  necessary ;  the  action  of  the 
weather  has  no  effect  on  the  uprights,  which  never  become  loose.  The  Poles 
can  be  readily  removed  without  disturbing  the  ground  fixings.  The  ground 
fixing  does  not  loosen,  and  is  less  injurious  to  the  lawn  than  any  other  Poles. 
Wherever  supplied  they  have  been  highly  approved. —  Vide  Press. 

Price  List  and  Address  of  Local  Agent  on  Application. 
56,   CANNON    STREET,    LONDON.  E.G. 


SLAZENGER  &  SONS' 

Lawn-Tennis    Rackets. 


The  "FIELD"  says: 

"  In  the  combination  of  power  with  light- 
ness we  have  seen  none  equal  to  the 
'Demon'  Racket." 


"LAND  &  WATER"  says: 

"For  genuine  good  service  we  have  not 
heard  any  Racket  better  spoken  of  than 
this,  as  it  is  a  fine  driver,  and  stands  wear 
well,  the  materials  and  workmanship  being 
clearly  of  the  best." 


Our  speciality  is  undoubtedly  the  Manufacture  of  Tennis  Rackets,  and 
to  them  we  have  devoted  every  possible  care  and  attention  ;  the  result  is  that 
experts  and  the  Press  admit  that  in  the  Manufacture  of  Tennis  Rackets  we 
cannot  be  excelled,  if  equalled. 

Timber  is  carefully  selected  and  thoroughly  seasoned.  Rent  Ash  only  is 
used,  giving  a  continuous  grain  round  the  frame,  ensuring  the  greatest  possible 
strength  and  uniform  spring. 

English-made  Gut  is  used  throughout ;  and  in  our  Special  Bats,  Gut  of 
l8  Strands  is  used. —  Vide  Press  Reports. 

Red  Rubber  Lawn-Tennis  Ball  (Cloth  Surface 

Rubber),  uniform  in  weight  and  size,  carefully  adjusted  in 
bound)  specially  made  for  durability,  and  adapted  for  Asphalt 
or  Hard  Courts  T/Gperdoz. 

This  Ball  is  manufactured  so  as  to  give  the  Regulation  weight,  size,  and  bounce,  and 
the  cloth-like  surface  makes  it  for  all  purposes  of  the  game  the  same  as  the  best  makes  of 
cloth-covered  balls,  with  the  great  advantage  that  IT  DOBS  NOT  VARY  IN  WEIGHT  IN  ANY 
WEATHER  and  is  readily  cleansed  ;  the  red  colour  is  better  to  see,  being  a  greater  contrast  to 
the  usual  surroundings  than  ordinary  Balls.  The  durability  is  much  greater,  and  the  price 
is  7/6  per  dozen. 

The  "FIELD"  says :— " SLAZENGER  &  SONS'  Red  Rubber  Uncovered  Ball 
promises  remarkably  well — it  is  made  to  suit  Winter  or  Grass  Courts,  and  is  highly 
approved." 

"  PASTIME  "  (Lawn-Tennis  Journal)  says :— "  The  new  make  of  Ball  pro. 

duced  by  SLAZENGER  &  SONS  has  all  the  advantages  of  a  Covered  and  Uncovered 
Ball." 

All  the  other  sporting  papers,  experts,  and  authorities  have  spoken  in  the  highest  possible 
praise  of  this  Ball,  and  are  confident  in  anticipating  that  it  will  supersede  all  other  makes. 

66,   CANNON    STREET,    LONDON,  E.O. 


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